St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe

About St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe

St Helen's Church of England Primary School in Cliffe sits slightly above the Medway local authority average for Key Stage 2 outcomes, with 65% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the LA average of 62%. That three-point gap might not sound enormous, but it places the school 24th out of 76 primary schools in Medway, putting it comfortably in the top third of its local authority. The school's ranking score of 65 also lands it in the top 50% nationally, which is a solid result for a relatively small village primary with 189 pupils on roll. What's particularly interesting is how the school performs in individual subjects: reading stands out with 85% of pupils hitting the expected standard and 31% reaching the higher standard, while writing sees 88% at expected and 23% at higher. Maths is a little lower at 73% expected and 19% higher, but the average scaled score of 105 still indicates pupils are working above the national baseline of 100.

The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in October 2024, confirmed that standards are being maintained since its last graded inspection in November 2015, when it was rated Good overall. That 2015 inspection gave Good grades for leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness, and the school has held that rating across both inspections. The previous graded inspection in 2013 had rated the school as Requires Improvement, so the trajectory has been positive. Parent feedback from the Parent View survey, based on 25 responses collected between September 2024 and September 2025, is overwhelmingly positive: 96% of parents strongly agree or agree that their child is happy, and 96% feel their child is safe. A striking 92% would recommend the school to other parents. However, communication around what children will learn and how they're doing shows some friction, with 32% of parents disagreeing or strongly disagreeing that the school keeps them informed about their child's progress, and 32% disagreeing on awareness of what their child will learn.

St Helen's is a Church of England primary with a capacity of 210, and it was oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, receiving 44 applications for 23 places, with 22 first-preference offers made. That oversubscription ratio of 1.91 tells you it's a popular choice locally. The school offers a decent range of facilities including a forest school, sensory room, chapel, music rooms, and playing fields, plus clubs like art, book club, coding and gardening. Sports provision covers cricket, tennis, dance and netball. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists support for a wide range of SEND categories including dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social and emotional mental health difficulties. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Leigh Academy High Halstow, about 4.5km away, so St Helen's represents a strong Good option for families in Cliffe who want a church school with above-average results and a clear sense of community.

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