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Herne Bay Junior School

Canterbury, CT6 5DAPrimaryAges 7–11MixedState
Ofsted Inspection
Ofsted inspected
1 Good · 3 Requires improvement
Jun 2025
KS2 Results
42%
meeting expected standard in RWM
Competition
N/A
No data
Ranking
#12,191
of 13,686 nationally

About Herne Bay Junior School

Herne Bay Junior School received a Requires Improvement rating from Ofsted following its most recent graded inspection in June 2025, a notable step down from the Good rating it held in its previous inspection in 2016. The inspection report, published in September 2025, rated the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management all as requires improvement, while personal development was judged to be good. The most telling academic metric comes from the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results: only 42% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That figure places the school 28th out of 30 primary schools in the Canterbury local authority area, and in the bottom 50% nationally. For context, the Kent local authority average for the same combined measure is 63%, so the school is running well behind its peers. Just 2% of pupils reached the higher standard across all three subjects.

Key Details

School TypePrimary (State)
Age Range7 to 11 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterNone
AddressKings Road, Herne Bay, Canterbury, CT6 5DA
HeadteacherMelody Wilkinson
Local AuthorityKent
Number of Pupils391
Free School Meals (FSM)45.3%
School Capacity391 / 500 (78% full)

The full report on this school

What 72 parents told Ofsted, the inspection in plain English, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.

  • Ofsted inspection in plain English
    Strengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
  • Parent View survey results
    What parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
  • Where Ofsted and parents disagree
    Gaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
  • Admissions & catchment
    Admission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
  • Nearby schools compared
    Backup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
  • Attendance & behaviour data
    Persistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
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Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

17 Jun 2025
View Report
Quality of Education
Requires improvement
Behaviour & Attitudes
Requires improvement
Personal Development
Good
Leadership & Management
Requires improvement

From September 2024, Ofsted no longer assigns a single overall grade in inspections of state-funded schools.

Source: Ofsted, 7 Sept 2025. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

SEND Support

AutismDyslexiaMental HealthSpeech & LanguageVisionPhysicalLearning DifficultyOther

Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.

School day

Verified

Teaching hours

08:45 – 15:15

Breakfast club

07:45-08:35

Source: hernebay-jun.kent.sch.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Herne Bay Junior School

Herne Bay Junior School has been rated "Requires Improvement" by Ofsted. This means the school is not yet good, but inspectors believe it can improve with the right support and changes.