Primary schools1 · best KS2 results first
Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0–Not graded
Schools in Lower Higham · DfE, Ofsted
State schools in Lower Higham
In Lower Higham, 31% of pupils got grade 5 or better in both English and maths GCSE, below both Kent’s towns (37%) and towns in England (45%). 1 state-funded school is located in Lower Higham’s built-up area. Lower Higham has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; its schools are listed below.
State schools
1
1 primary, 0 secondary
Reading, writing & maths
58%
meet the expected standard at 11 · 2023–25
England’s schools: 62%
Attainment 8
43.7
GCSE average across 8 subjects · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
31%
a strong pass in both · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47%
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
Map
Where Lower Higham’s state school is
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Lower Higham’s built-up area.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
PrimarySecondarySpecial, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.
Getting a place
How school places work in Lower Higham
Kent County Council handles applications for every state school in Lower Higham, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work
The schools
1 state school in Lower Higham
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Lower Higham’s schoolsA 0B 0C 1D 0
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted inspections
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 0 of Lower Higham’s 1 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
Neighbours
Lower Higham and the places around it
Coloured by School Grade.
HighamCliffe WoodsShorneCliffeChattendenRochesterGravesendLower Higham
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Higham 1 school | — | 58% | 43.7 |
| Higham 0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 0.8 mi | C− | 60% | 43.7 |
| Cliffe Woods 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 1.5 mi | C | 58% | — |
| Shorne 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 1.9 mi | C− | 60% | 40.6 |
| Cliffe 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 2.7 mi | B+ | 65% | — |
| Chattenden 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 2.9 mi | C | 59% | 42.3 |
| Rochester 27 schools · 3.3 mi | B+ | 59% | 54.5 |
| Gravesend 16 schools · 3.6 mi | B− | 57% | 48.7 |
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
- Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Lower Higham: 3% (England’s average school: 8%).
- Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
- Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
- Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
- Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
- Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
- Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Lower Higham
Are schools in Lower Higham good?
We don’t grade England’s schools yet: Department for Education results and Ofsted report cards are being added. School places are handled by Kent council.
How do I apply for a school place in Lower Higham?
Through Kent County Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in Lower Higham are full?
1 of 1 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
How many state schools are in Lower Higham?
1 open state-funded school is located in Lower Higham’s built-up area: 1 primary, 0 secondary and 0 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.