Herne Church of England Junior School
School Lane, Herne, Herne Bay, CT6 7AL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 7 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Mal Saunders
- Diocese
- Diocese of Canterbury
- Constituency
- Herne Bay and Sandwich
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 360
- Pupils on roll
- 375
- URN
- 118736
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01227374069
About this school
Herne Church of England Junior School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Herne Bay. It teaches children aged 7 to 11 and has 375 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 1 November 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Outstanding. 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 | 91 | 89 | 90 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 87% | 88% | 81% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 19% | 16% | 19% |
| Expected standard in reading | 93% | 92% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 93% | 92% | 90% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 93% | 93% | 86% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 108.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.20 | - | - |
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 Herne Church of England Junior 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 | 87% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 88% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 81% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 360 |
| 2023/24 | 360 |
| 2024/25 | 370 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Herne Church of England Junior School compares
Herne Church of England Junior School ranked 48th of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 89% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 81% | 4.1% | 16.8% | 375 | — |
| Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School | — | 5.5% | 11.2% | 318 | 0.1 miles |
| Herne Bay Infant School | — | 6.7% | 41.5% | 259 | 1.2 miles |
| Herne Bay Junior School | 34% | 7.2% | 46.3% | 371 | 1.3 miles |
| Thornden Wood Primary School | 81% | 6.6% | 42.2% | 337 | 1.5 miles |
| Hoath Primary School | 71% | 4.9% | 28.9% | 106 | 1.6 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)
- 16.76%
- English as an additional language
- 3.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.07%
- Persistent absence
- 6.17%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School0.1 miles
Primary · Herne Bay
-
Herne Bay Infant School1.2 miles
Primary · Herne Bay
-
Herne Bay Junior School1.3 miles
Primary · Herne Bay
-
Thornden Wood Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Herne Bay
-
Hoath Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Canterbury
Other schools in Herne Bay
Herne Church of England Junior School ranks 1st of the 5 ranked primary schools in Herne Bay.
- Hampton Primary School Primary
- Herne Bay Infant School Primary
- Herne Bay Junior School Primary
- Herne Church of England Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Reculver Church of England Primary School Primary
- Thornden Wood Primary School Primary
- Herne Bay High School Secondary
- SALT COLLEGE Other types
Common questions
- What year groups does Herne Church of England Junior School teach?
- Herne Church of England Junior School teaches children aged 7 to 11. It is a primary school in Herne Bay.
- Who is the headteacher of Herne Church of England Junior School?
- The headteacher of Herne Church of England Junior School is Mr Mal Saunders, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Herne Church of England Junior School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Herne Church of England Junior 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 Herne Church of England Junior School?
- Herne Church of England Junior School has 375 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 7 to 11.
- Is Herne Church of England Junior School full?
- Herne Church of England Junior School has capacity for 360 pupils and 375 on roll (104%), 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 Herne Church of England Junior School a faith school?
- Yes. Herne Church of England Junior School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Canterbury.
- Does Herne Church of England Junior School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Herne Church of England Junior School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Herne Church of England Junior School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 87% in 2022/23 and 81% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Herne Church of England Junior School rank locally?
- Herne Church of England Junior School ranked 48th of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 89% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Herne Church of England Junior School's absence rate?
- Herne Church of England Junior School's overall absence rate is 4.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Herne Church of England Junior School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Herne Church of England Junior 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.