Lift St James the Great
Primary · Academy sponsor led · Ages 3–11 · East Malling, Kent
Last distance offered · Reception 2026
4.181 miles
Published by Kent County Council · offers on 16 April 2026
2023–2025 trend 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
Lift St James the Great is a primary school in East Malling, Kent for ages 3–11 (academy sponsor led). Its latest Ofsted outcome is School remains Good, from the inspection on 13 September 2023. Kent has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2023 to 2026 entry.
Lift St James the Great catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Reception 2026 | 4.181 mi |
| Reception 2025 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2024 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2023 | 🔒 With a pass |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- In 2024/25, 79% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 62%), and 11% reached the higher standard (England 8%).
- The last child offered a Reception place in 2026 lived 4.181 miles away, 117th longest of 434 Kent primary schools with a published Reception 2026 last distance (middle 2.24 miles).
- Reception 2026 drew 19 first-choice applications for 21 offers: every first-choice family was offered a place, and 2 offers went to families ranking it second or lower.
- 54% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, against a middle figure of 28.3% across the 8 nearest primary schools in Kent.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Kent schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Chapman Way, East Malling, ME19 6SD
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 3–11
- Council
- Kent
- Pupils on roll
- 176 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 54% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 15.8
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
School remains Good Inspected 13 September 2023
Strengths
- “Pupils enjoy attending this caring school.”
- “They are happy, and adults keep them safe.”
- “Pupils form positive relationships with one another in class and while at play.”
To improve
- “However, the adaptations needed in some subjects are less well refined.”
- “This means that some pupils with SEND struggle to fully understand what they are learning.”
- “However, in some subjects that have been recently restructured, teachers’ questioning is less effective.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 9 October 2023 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| Key stage 2 · reading, writing and maths, expected standard (2024/25) | 79% | 62% |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Reception entry: 19 first-preference applications, 21 offers in total, 19 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby primary schools
Straight-line distance, in Kent.
- More Park Catholic Primary School 0.6 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Brookfield Infant School 0.7 mi Good Last distance published
- Lunsford Primary School 0.7 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Brookfield Junior School 0.7 mi School remains Good
- Leybourne, St Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary Academy 0.7 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Ditton Church of England Junior School 0.9 mi No Ofsted grade
- Ditton Infant School 1.0 mi Good Last distance published
- West Malling Church of England Primary School and McGinty Speech and Language Srp 1.1 mi Good Last distance published