Sutton Valence Primary School

Sutton Valence Primary School continues to demonstrate good performance in its educational offerings. The school provides a nurturing environment where pupils feel safe and valued, contributing to their overall happiness and well-being. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, enriched by various extracurricular activities, which promotes students' responsibility and personal growth. Although the school has made significant strides in areas such as early reading, some aspects of curriculum delivery need refinement to ensure all pupils grasp key concepts effectively. While staff are committed and well-supported, the report identifies areas for improvement, particularly in enhancing teachers' subject knowledge and providing clearer curriculum guidance. Overall, the school is well-regarded by parents and students alike, with a strong emphasis on building strong community ties and ensuring pupils thrive both academically and socially.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy and safe in a welcoming environment.
• Teachers have high expectations of both behavior and learning.
• Curriculum is broad, ambitious, and well sequenced.
• Strong focus on pupils' well-being and personal development.
• Effective school community values of courage, friendship, and respect.
• Pupils have plenty of opportunities to engage in extracurricular activities.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers lack precise curriculum guidance, affecting knowledge retention.
• A few staff members do not possess strong enough subject knowledge for effective teaching.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Sutton Valence Primary School attended 92.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 25.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 3.4% of pupils at Sutton Valence Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Sutton Valence Primary School had 19.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 30.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 17.7% of pupils at Sutton Valence Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Sutton Valence Primary School received £7,134 and spent £7,352 for each of its 203 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £74,000 (£366 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Maidstone · Kent local authority: places and applications

What is Sutton Valence Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sutton Valence Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was Sutton Valence Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Sutton Valence Primary School was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does Sutton Valence Primary School have?

Sutton Valence Primary School has 203 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sutton Valence Primary School cover?

Sutton Valence Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Sutton Valence Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 54% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Sutton Valence Primary School?

Sutton Valence Primary School is at North Street, Sutton Valence, Maidstone, Kent, ME17 3HT.