Hempstead Junior School

About Hempstead Junior School

Hempstead Junior School is a state primary for children aged 7 to 11 in Medway, and it is currently running above its official capacity. With 373 pupils on roll against a capacity of 360, the school is oversubscribed in practical terms, which suggests strong local demand for places. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 9.7%, notably lower than the national average for primary schools, indicating a relatively affluent intake compared with the wider population. The school is non-denominational and mixed, and its headteacher is Paul Cross. While the school does not publish its own admissions criteria in this data, the fact that it is over capacity implies that securing a place may be competitive for families living outside its immediate catchment area. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in March 2024, confirmed that it remains Good, a rating it has held consistently since at least its previous graded inspection in 2013.

Academically, Hempstead Junior School sits in the bottom half of Medway’s primary rankings, placing 39th out of 55 schools in the local authority. Its key stage 2 results for the 2023/24 academic year show that 56% 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 strongest individual subject at KS2 was writing, where 74% met the expected standard, followed by maths at 70% and reading at 66. However, the proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard in all three subjects was just 5%, and only 17% reached the higher standard in maths. Average scaled scores were 105 in reading and 103 in maths, both slightly above the national benchmark of 100. Progress scores are not available in this data, so it is not possible to assess how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points.

The school offers a solid range of facilities for a junior school, including a sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, music rooms, an ICT suite and a library. Sports provision covers tennis, cross country, dance and football, while extracurricular clubs include coding, science club, gardening, art, chess and choir. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists support for a wide spectrum of SEND categories, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health needs. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Lordswood School, 2.5 km away, which may be a consideration for parents weighing options. Hempstead Junior School is best suited to families within its local area who value a stable, Good-rated school with a broad club offer and a slightly above-average academic profile in reading and maths, but who are realistic about its middling position within Medway’s primary league table.

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