Bligh Primary School (Infants)
Bligh Way, Strood, Rochester, ME2 2XJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- MARITIME ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Christian Markham
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Maritime Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Rochester and Strood
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 270
- Pupils on roll
- 303
- URN
- 144915
- Local authority
- Medway
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01634336220
About this school
Bligh Primary School (Infants) is a primary academy in Rochester. It teaches children aged 2 to 7 and has 303 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 did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How Bligh Primary School (Infants) 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 | 8.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 325 |
| 2023/24 | 319 |
| 2024/25 | 309 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bligh Primary School (Infants) compares
Its absence rate was lower than 36% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 6.2% | 28% | 303 | — |
| Bligh Primary School (Juniors) | 56% | 5.5% | 40.3% | 343 | 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 28%
- English as an additional language
- 17.5%
- Overall absence
- 6.19%
- Persistent absence
- 14.71%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Bligh Primary School (Juniors)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
- All Faiths Children's Academy Primary
- Balfour Infant School 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
- Elaine Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Bligh Primary School (Infants) teach?
- Bligh Primary School (Infants) teaches children aged 2 to 7. It is a primary school in Rochester.
- Who is the headteacher of Bligh Primary School (Infants)?
- The headteacher of Bligh Primary School (Infants) is Mr Christian Markham, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Bligh Primary School (Infants) last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bligh Primary School (Infants), 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 (Infants)?
- Bligh Primary School (Infants) has 303 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 7.
- Is Bligh Primary School (Infants) full?
- Bligh Primary School (Infants) has capacity for 270 pupils and 303 on roll (112%), 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 (Infants) a faith school?
- No. Bligh Primary School (Infants) has no designated religious character.
- Does Bligh Primary School (Infants) have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Bligh Primary School (Infants) as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Bligh Primary School (Infants)?
- Bligh Primary School (Infants) 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.
- What is Bligh Primary School (Infants)'s absence rate?
- Bligh Primary School (Infants)'s overall absence rate is 6.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Bligh Primary School (Infants) publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Bligh Primary School (Infants). 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.