Featherby Junior School

About Featherby Junior School

Featherby Junior School is a state primary in Medway for children aged 7 to 11, and the numbers suggest it is a school that local families actively choose. The school is almost at full capacity with 358 pupils against a published capacity of 360, which indicates it is popular in the area. Parent satisfaction is not formally measured here, but the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022 rated it Good overall, with all five categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management — each judged Good. That is a notable improvement from its previous inspection in December 2021, when the school was rated Inadequate overall, with leadership and management also Inadequate. The turnaround under headteacher Emma Pape has been swift, and the fact that the school is now oversubscribed in practical terms suggests parents have confidence in the direction it is heading.

Academically, Featherby sits in the bottom half of Medway primary schools, ranked 38th out of 55 in the local authority. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 57% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the Medway local authority average of 62%. The school’s ranking score of 57 places it in the bottom 50 nationally. However, individual subject results tell a more nuanced story: 82% of pupils met the expected standard in writing, and 78% did so in maths, while reading was lower at 67%. At the higher standard, 24% of pupils achieved a higher score in reading, 18% in maths and 15% in writing. Only 7% reached the higher standard across all three subjects. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is difficult to say how much value the school adds, but the raw attainment figures show writing and maths as relative strengths.

The school offers a solid range of facilities for a junior school, including a forest school, sensory room, music rooms, sports hall and gymnasium, plus clubs such as gardening, art, drama, film, chess and book club. Sports provision covers netball, football, cross country, dance, cricket, gymnastics and swimming. For families with children who have additional needs, Featherby lists SEND provisions for eight categories, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language communication needs, and social, emotional and mental health difficulties. The school has no nursery or sixth form, and is not a boarding school. With 39.1% of pupils eligible for free school meals, it serves a community with above-average disadvantage. This is a school that has stabilised quickly after a difficult inspection and is now full, making it a realistic option for Medway families who want a local, inclusive junior school with good facilities and a clear recent improvement story.

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