Bligh Primary School (Juniors)
Bligh Way, Strood, Rochester, ME2 2XJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 7 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- MARITIME ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Christian Markham
- Sponsor
- Maritime Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Rochester and Strood
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 330
- Pupils on roll
- 343
- URN
- 144566
- Local authority
- Medway
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01634336220
About this school
Bligh Primary School (Juniors) is a primary academy in Rochester. It teaches children aged 7 to 11 and has 343 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
- 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 | 60 | 89 | 89 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 58% | 64% | 56% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 1% | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 72% | 72% | 71% |
| Expected standard in maths | 65% | 75% | 64% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 55% | 64% | 64% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -3.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.30 | - | - |
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 Bligh Primary School (Juniors) 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 | 58% | 56.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 64% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 56% | 59.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 328 |
| 2023/24 | 354 |
| 2024/25 | 355 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bligh Primary School (Juniors) compares
Bligh Primary School (Juniors) ranked 40th of 57 primary schools in Medway for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 31% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 56% | 5.5% | 40.3% | 343 | — |
| Bligh Primary School (Infants) | — | 6.2% | 28% | 303 | 0.0 miles |
| Elaine Primary School | 70% | 7.3% | 53.8% | 270 | 0.6 miles |
| Cedar Children's Academy | 57% | 5.1% | 30% | 627 | 0.7 miles |
| Gordons Children's Academy, Junior | 65% | 5.1% | 33.1% | 263 | 1.1 miles |
| Gordons Children's Academy, Infant | — | 5.5% | 25.9% | 135 | 1.1 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.
Inspection history
- 21 June 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report24 November 2021
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 40.28%
- English as an additional language
- 15.8%
- Overall absence
- 5.51%
- Persistent absence
- 16.03%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Bligh Primary School (Infants)0.0 miles
Primary · Rochester
-
Elaine Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Rochester
-
Cedar Children's Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Rochester
-
Gordons Children's Academy, Junior1.1 miles
Primary · Rochester
-
Gordons Children's Academy, Infant1.1 miles
Primary · Rochester
Other schools in Rochester
Bligh Primary School (Juniors) ranks 19th of the 25 ranked primary schools in Rochester.
- All Faiths Children's Academy Primary
- Balfour Infant School Primary
- Bligh Primary School (Infants) 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
- Elaine Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Bligh Primary School (Juniors) teach?
- Bligh Primary School (Juniors) teaches children aged 7 to 11. It is a primary school in Rochester.
- Who is the headteacher of Bligh Primary School (Juniors)?
- The headteacher of Bligh Primary School (Juniors) is Mr Christian Markham, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Bligh Primary School (Juniors) last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bligh Primary School (Juniors), 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 Bligh Primary School (Juniors)?
- Bligh Primary School (Juniors) has 343 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 7 to 11.
- Is Bligh Primary School (Juniors) full?
- Bligh Primary School (Juniors) has capacity for 330 pupils and 343 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 Bligh Primary School (Juniors) a faith school?
- No. Bligh Primary School (Juniors) has no designated religious character.
- Does Bligh Primary School (Juniors) have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Bligh Primary School (Juniors) as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Bligh Primary School (Juniors)?
- Bligh Primary School (Juniors) is part of MARITIME ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Bligh Primary School (Juniors)'s results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 58% in 2022/23 and 56% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bligh Primary School (Juniors) rank locally?
- Bligh Primary School (Juniors) ranked 40th of 57 primary schools in Medway for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 31% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bligh Primary School (Juniors)'s absence rate?
- Bligh Primary School (Juniors)'s overall absence rate is 5.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bligh Primary School (Juniors)'s exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bligh Primary School (Juniors)'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 10 July 2026.