Find the best primary schools in Maidstone. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Maidstone has 48 primary schools, all in Kent council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 48, 14 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Maidstone primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Allington Primary School | Mixed | 4.8 / 5 |
| Leigh Academy Molehill | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| Maidstone, St John's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.6 / 5 |
| Valley Invicta Primary School At East Borough | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| Bredhurst Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| St Paul's Infant School | Mixed | 4.5 / 5 |
| Leigh Academy Oaks | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| St Michael's Church of England Infant School Maidstone |
There are 48 primary schools in Maidstone.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. If you live in Maidstone, that council is Kent. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 48 primary schools in Maidstone, 14 have a religious character: 13 Church of England and 1 Roman Catholic. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Allington Primary School (4.8), Leigh Academy Molehill (4.6), Maidstone, St John's Church of England Primary School (4.6), Valley Invicta Primary School At East Borough (4.6) and Bredhurst Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (4.5). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. All 48 schools here have a rating.
| Church of England |
| 4.4 / 5 |
| Thurnham Church of England Infant School | Church of England | 4.3 / 5 |
| South Borough Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Jubilee Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Leigh Academy Langley Park | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Roseacre Junior School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Leigh Academy Bearsted | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Archbishop Courtenay Primary School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| Leigh Academy Marden | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Loose Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Hunton Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| The Holy Family Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.8 / 5 |
| Senacre Wood Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Maidstone, St Michael's Church of England Junior School | Church of England | 3.7 / 5 |
| Leigh Academy Tree Tops | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Madginford Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Sandling Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Brunswick House Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Coxheath Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| North Borough Junior School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Laddingford St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| Yalding, St Peter and St Paul Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| Headcorn Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Lenham Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Harrietsham Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.4 / 5 |
| East Farleigh Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Tiger Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Greenfields Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Kingswood Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Hollingbourne Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Sutton Valence Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Barming Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Boughton Monchelsea Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| St Margaret's, Collier Street Church of England Voluntary Controlled School | Church of England | 3.0 / 5 |
| Palace Wood Primary School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Park Way Primary School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Platts Heath Primary School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Leeds and Broomfield Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 2.7 / 5 |
| Staplehurst School | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| West Borough Primary School | Mixed | 2.4 / 5 |
| Ulcombe Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 1.5 / 5 |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.