Medway School Streets: 14 Roads Back Under ANPR Now

Medway’s School Streets restrictions are live again. Term 1 began on Tuesday 1 September, and the council confirmed in advice issued the same day that the scheme “will become active again” for the school year.

Fourteen school sites are covered. At the times below, the road outside becomes pedestrian and cycle only, and number plate cameras record anyone who drives in without an exemption.

The 14 roads and the times

Source: the council’s School Streets locations and operating times. Note the Miers Court Friday lunchtime slot, which is the only midday restriction in Medway.

The restrictions do not apply during school holidays, at weekends, or on teacher training days. Each school sets its own training days, so a street can be open on a weekday when the rest are closed. Term 1 runs until Friday 23 October, with the autumn break from 26 to 30 October, according to the council’s term dates. Academies set their own dates and may differ.

Seven schools are past the warning period, so it is a fine first time

New School Streets get a six month warning period, and a driver’s first entry gets a warning notice rather than a charge. That grace has long expired at some sites.

The council states that the warning period ended on 10 September 2024 at seven schools:

• Burnt Oak Primary School
• Greenvale Primary School
• Miers Court Primary School
• Phoenix Primary Academy
• St Mary’s Catholic Primary School
• St Peter’s Infant School
• St Thomas More Catholic Primary School

At those seven, an unexempted vehicle caught by the cameras goes straight to a Penalty Charge Notice.

One rule catches people out. If you are already legally parked inside a School Street before the restriction starts, you can stay or drive out without a PCN. What you cannot do is drive in during the operating times to reach that parking.

Who is exempt, and who is not

Emergency vehicles, school buses, utility crews attending emergencies, postal services and waste vehicles are automatically exempt. Shopping and food delivery vehicles are not, which is worth knowing if you order a supermarket slot for 3pm.

Everyone else has to apply. You can request an exemption if you live in a restricted street, work at a business or school in one, or if you or your child holds a Blue Badge and needs access. Exemptions are virtual, tied to the registration, and last two years.

Two categories work differently:

• Taxis are only exempt for a pre-booked journey to or from an address on the street. The driver must email permits@medway.gov.uk within 48 hours of the journey with the pick-up or drop-off location, the date and the registration
• Carers are only exempt when transporting a vulnerable resident of that street to a planned appointment. Homecare visits are not covered, and the same 48 hour email applies

Miss the 48 hours and a PCN may be issued, though the council says an appeal with proof of the booking will be considered case by case.

One new scheme is still waiting, and one has been dropped

The council said in July 2025 that it would add more School Streets. The position on both is now published:

• St William of Perth RC Primary, Rochester. A School Street on Canon Close is agreed but has no start date. Consultation responses asked for the afternoon restriction to run 2.30pm to 3.30pm rather than 3pm to 4pm, and the council says it will update the Traffic Regulation Order before the scheme goes in. Extra safety measures on Maidstone Road are to come with it
• The King’s Pre-Preparatory School and Nursery, Rochester. After considering comments, the council has decided not to proceed. It says it will instead review the School Keep Clear markings, back them with ANPR enforcement where appropriate, and review vehicle speeds with a view to a 20mph limit on surrounding roads

The scheme is paid for with £486,000 the council secured from the government’s Active Travel Fund.

School applications also opened this week

Separately, applications for September 2027 school places opened on 1 September. Two deadlines are already fixed, and the secondary one is the tighter of the pair:

• Secondary places close Saturday 31 October 2026
• Primary places close Friday 15 January 2027

Medway is a selective authority, so the Medway Test comes first. The council’s key dates table sets it out:

• 15 and 16 September: the test for children at Medway primary and junior schools
• 19 or 20 September: the test for children from schools outside Medway, one day each
• 14 October: results, two and a half weeks before applications close

Registration for the test itself closed on 12 June, so this year’s entrants are already fixed.

Parents living in Medway must apply through Medway Council even if they want a school outside the area, and the council advises using all six preferences.

What it means for you

• Check the table before the school run. Fourteen sites are restricted. Only six run the standard 8am to 9am and 3pm to 4pm; the other eight have their own times, and Miers Court adds a Friday lunchtime slot
• At seven schools there is no warning notice any more. The grace period ended on 10 September 2024
• Do not book a supermarket or takeaway delivery into a School Street at pick-up time. Delivery vehicles are not exempt
• If you live or work on one of these roads, apply for the exemption. It lasts two years, is linked to your registration, and there is nothing to display in the car
• Restrictions are off during holidays, weekends and training days, so Term 1 ends on 23 October at the schools the council maintains

For the wider picture on where else the council enforces restrictions, including red routes and moving traffic offences, and for charges and locations, see parking in Medway.