Pelham Primary School

About Pelham Primary School

Pelham Primary School in Bexley is clearly popular with local families, with 78% of parents who responded to Ofsted's Parent View survey saying they would recommend the school. That positive sentiment is backed up by the numbers: for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 88 applications for just 36 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.44. Among those 88 applicants, 32 put Pelham as their first preference, and all 32 were offered a place. Parents responding to the survey were particularly positive about how happy their children are at the school, with 90% either agreeing or strongly agreeing that their child is happy, and a similar 92% feeling their child is safe. The school also scores well on communication, with 93% of parents agreeing or strongly agreeing that the school makes them aware of what their child will learn. However, it's worth noting that concerns are not universally well received — 21% of parents disagreed that concerns are dealt with properly, which is a higher proportion than you'd typically see at a school with this level of overall satisfaction.

Academically, Pelham is a solid but not standout performer within Bexley. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 60% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is slightly below the local authority average of 67%. The school's ranking within Bexley places it 38th out of 55 primary schools, putting it in the bottom half of the borough. That said, individual subject scores are more encouraging: 87% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading and 82% in maths, with average scores of 107 and 108 respectively. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard in maths was a respectable 48%, though only 3% reached that level in writing. Ofsted's most recent inspection in 2025 rated the school Good overall, with a notable Outstanding rating for early years provision — an improvement from the Good it received in its previous inspection in 2011. Behaviour, personal development, leadership and quality of education were all judged Good.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a sports hall, music rooms, an ICT suite, art studios and a forest school, which supports its strong outdoor and sporting offer. Pupils can take part in swimming, athletics, tennis, cricket, netball and cross country, plus clubs like chess, drama, science and coding. For families with children who have special educational needs, Pelham has a resourced provision and supports a wide range of needs including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language difficulties, and hearing or visual impairments. The school also has a nursery provision for children from age three. With its strong parent satisfaction, oversubscribed intake and Good Ofsted rating, Pelham is a well-regarded choice for Bexley families, particularly those who value early years education and a wide range of extracurricular opportunities.

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