Higham Primary School
School Lane, Higham, Rochester, ME3 7JL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Catherine Grattan
- Constituency
- Gravesham
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 210
- URN
- 118262
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01474822535
About this school
Higham Primary School is a community primary school in Rochester. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 210 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 30 | 29 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 40% | 52% | 57% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 0% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 67% | 69% | 73% |
| Expected standard in maths | 50% | 72% | 57% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 37% | 59% | 63% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 100.0 | 102.0 | 101.0 |
| Reading progress | -3.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -3.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -5.70 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Higham Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Kent average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 40% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 52% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 57% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 208 |
| 2023/24 | 209 |
| 2024/25 | 211 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Higham Primary School compares
Higham Primary School ranked 295th of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 34% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 57% | 5.2% | 13.7% | 210 | — |
| Shorne Church of England Primary School | 69% | 4.3% | 8.7% | 211 | 1.4 miles |
| Temple Mill Primary School | 66% | 5.1% | 21.9% | 237 | 1.8 miles |
| Cliffe Woods Primary School | 53% | 4.1% | 5.9% | 421 | 2.0 miles |
| Bligh Primary School (Infants) | — | 6.2% | 28% | 303 | 2.0 miles |
| Bligh Primary School (Juniors) | 56% | 5.5% | 40.3% | 343 | 2.0 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 13.74%
- English as an additional language
- 5.7%
- Overall absence
- 5.17%
- Persistent absence
- 12.15%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Shorne Church of England Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Gravesend
-
Temple Mill Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Rochester
-
Cliffe Woods Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Rochester
-
Bligh Primary School (Infants)2.0 miles
Primary · Rochester
-
Bligh Primary School (Juniors)2.0 miles
Primary · Rochester
Other schools in Rochester
Higham Primary School ranks 18th of the 25 ranked primary schools in Rochester.
- All Faiths Children's Academy Primary
- Balfour Infant School Primary
- Bligh Primary School (Infants) Primary
- Bligh Primary School (Juniors) Primary
- Burham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Cedar Children's Academy Primary
- Chattenden Primary School Primary
- Cliffe Woods Primary School Primary
- Crest Infant School Primary
- Cuxton Community Infant School Primary
- Cuxton Community Junior School Primary
- Delce Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Higham Primary School teach?
- Higham Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Rochester.
- Who is the headteacher of Higham Primary School?
- The headteacher of Higham Primary School is Mrs Catherine Grattan, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Higham Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Higham Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Higham Primary School?
- Higham Primary School has 210 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Higham Primary School full?
- Higham Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 210 on roll (100%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Higham Primary School a faith school?
- No. Higham Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Higham Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Higham Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Higham Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 40% in 2022/23 and 57% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Higham Primary School rank locally?
- Higham Primary School ranked 295th of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 34% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Higham Primary School's absence rate?
- Higham Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Higham Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Higham Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.