St Margaret's Infant School
St Margaret's Infant School, Orchard Street, Orchard Street, Gillingham, ME8 9AE
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE WESTBROOK TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Paula Fewtrell
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Westbrook Trust
- Constituency
- Gillingham and Rainham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 270
- Pupils on roll
- 312
- URN
- 144133
- Local authority
- Medway
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01634231327
About this school
St Margaret's Infant School is a primary academy in Gillingham. It teaches children aged 3 to 7 and has 312 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 14 May 2025, where inspectors found the school has improved significantly. 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.
Trends over time
How St Margaret's Infant 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 300 |
| 2023/24 | 303 |
| 2024/25 | 299 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Margaret's Infant School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 4.6% | 16.4% | 312 | — |
| St Margaret's Church of England Junior School | 67% | 4.4% | 19.2% | 363 | 0.0 miles |
| Miers Court Primary School | 56% | 5.2% | 16.6% | 417 | 0.4 miles |
| Thames View Primary School | 80% | 5.5% | 17.6% | 459 | 0.7 miles |
| Riverside Primary School | 56% | 4.5% | 37.3% | 453 | 0.7 miles |
| Parkwood Primary School | — | 4.6% | 19.2% | 476 | 0.9 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)
- 16.35%
- English as an additional language
- 12.4%
- Overall absence
- 4.61%
- Persistent absence
- 11.6%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Margaret's Church of England Junior School0.0 miles
Primary · Gillingham
-
Miers Court Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Rainham
-
Thames View Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Gillingham
-
Riverside Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Gillingham
-
Parkwood Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Gillingham
Other schools in Gillingham
- Barnsole Primary School Primary
- Brompton-Westbrook Primary School Primary
- Burnt Oak Primary School Primary
- Byron Primary School Primary
- Deanwood Primary School Primary
- Fairview Community Primary School Primary
- Featherby Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Featherby Junior School Primary
- Hempstead Infant School Primary
- Hempstead Junior School Primary
- Napier Community Primary and Nursery Academy Primary
- Oasis Academy Skinner Street Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Margaret's Infant School teach?
- St Margaret's Infant School teaches children aged 3 to 7. It is a primary school in Gillingham.
- Who is the headteacher of St Margaret's Infant School?
- The headteacher of St Margaret's Infant School is Mrs Paula Fewtrell, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Margaret's Infant School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Margaret's Infant 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 St Margaret's Infant School?
- St Margaret's Infant School has 312 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 7.
- Is St Margaret's Infant School full?
- St Margaret's Infant School has capacity for 270 pupils and 312 on roll (116%), 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 St Margaret's Infant School a faith school?
- No. St Margaret's Infant School has no designated religious character.
- Does St Margaret's Infant School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Margaret's Infant School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs St Margaret's Infant School?
- St Margaret's Infant School is part of THE WESTBROOK TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is St Margaret's Infant School's absence rate?
- St Margaret's Infant School's overall absence rate is 4.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does St Margaret's Infant School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for St Margaret's Infant School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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 10 July 2026.