School profile

Herne Bay Infant School

Primary · Community school · Herne Bay, CT6 5SH

Good

Map showing Herne Bay Infant School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

Herne Bay Infant School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 20 Apr 2016

Ofsted rating
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeCommunity school
Ages3 to 7
Pupils259
GenderMixed
Head teacherMs Nicky Brown
Local authorityKent
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 118359.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils259
Girls133
Boys126
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.39.4%
First language not English13.9%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.270
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.226
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.16.3%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.33
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.4
Average class size27.7

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
73.4%
African
7.3%
Other White
3.5%
Other mixed
2.7%
Other ethnic group
2.7%
Indian
1.9%
Gypsy/Roma
1.5%
Other Asian
1.5%
Other Black
1.5%
White and Asian
1.2%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher19.4
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.8.7
Teachers (FTE)12.6
Teaching assistants (FTE)13.07
Support staff (FTE)21.95
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2512.3
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2510.5
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/251.8

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.60
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.118
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.56
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.55
Applications from another local authority (Reception)2

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolKentEngland
Overall absence5%, similar to England, similar to Kent5.4%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.15.4%, worse than England, similar to Kent14.4%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0%, better than England, better than Kent1.2%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate10.9%
Pupils with one or more suspensions2.9%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Herne Bay Infant School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.0 miPrimaryHerne Bay Junior SchoolFoundation school
Requires improvement
0.8 miSecondaryHerne Bay High SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.1 miPrimaryHampton Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.2 miPrimaryHerne Church of England Junior SchoolVoluntary aided school
Outstanding
1.3 miPrimaryHerne Church of England Infant and Nursery SchoolVoluntary controlled school
Good
1.4 miPrimaryThornden Wood Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about Herne Bay Infant School

What is Herne Bay Infant School's Ofsted rating?

Herne Bay Infant School is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 20 Apr 2016.

How hard is it to get into Herne Bay Infant School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Herne Bay Infant School made 60 offers from 118 applications (2 per offer), and 55 of 56 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Herne Bay Infant School?

Herne Bay Infant School has 259 pupils aged 3 to 7.

What is the capacity of Herne Bay Infant School?

Herne Bay Infant School had 270 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Herne Bay Infant School?

At Herne Bay Infant School, the average class had 27.7 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 19.4 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Herne Bay Infant School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Herne Bay Infant School missed 5% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 15.4% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.