St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe
Church Street, Cliffe, Rochester, ME3 7PU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Amanda Kember
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rochester
- Constituency
- Rochester and Strood
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 182
- URN
- 118641
- Local authority
- Medway
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01634220246
About this school
St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Rochester. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 182 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 16 October 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 32 | 26 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 72% | 65% | 71% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 6% | 12% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 78% | 85% | 84% |
| Expected standard in maths | 84% | 73% | 77% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 84% | 81% | 87% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 107.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +4.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.70 | - | - |
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 St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Medway average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 72% | 56.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 65% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 71% | 59.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 211 |
| 2023/24 | 193 |
| 2024/25 | 189 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe compares
St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe ranked 18th of 57 primary schools in Medway for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 40% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 71% | 5.9% | 20.1% | 182 | — |
| Cliffe Woods Primary School | 53% | 4.1% | 5.9% | 421 | 1.6 miles |
| Leigh Academy High Halstow | 81% | 5% | 11.3% | 241 | 2.8 miles |
| Higham Primary School | 57% | 5.2% | 13.7% | 210 | 2.8 miles |
| Chattenden Primary School | 69% | 7.5% | 34.6% | 203 | 3.0 miles |
| Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough | 52% | 6.4% | 27.7% | 546 | 3.5 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)
- 20.11%
- English as an additional language
- 2.6%
- Overall absence
- 5.93%
- Persistent absence
- 16.11%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Cliffe Woods Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Rochester
-
Leigh Academy High Halstow2.8 miles
Primary · Rochester
-
Higham Primary School2.8 miles
Primary · Rochester
-
Chattenden Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Rochester
-
Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough3.5 miles
Primary · Rochester
Other schools in Rochester
St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe ranks 7th 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 St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe teach?
- St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Rochester.
- Who is the headteacher of St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe?
- The headteacher of St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe is Mrs Amanda Kember, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe, 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 St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe?
- St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe has 182 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe full?
- St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe has capacity for 210 pupils and 182 on roll (87%), so it has space against 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 St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe a faith school?
- Yes. St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Rochester.
- Does St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe as having no nursery classes.
- How have St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 72% in 2022/23 and 71% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe rank locally?
- St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe ranked 18th of 57 primary schools in Medway for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 40% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe's absence rate?
- St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe's overall absence rate is 5.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Helen's Church of England Primary School, Cliffe'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.