Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School

Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School demonstrates a strong overall performance with notable strengths in safeguarding, attendance, and inclusive practices. Leaders have cultivated a positive culture where every pupil is valued, contributing to high attendance rates and commendable behaviour. The curriculum is ambitious and adapted effectively to cater for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), ensuring they make rapid progress. Although academic performance reflects national averages, the school is committed to continuous improvement and prioritizes the welfare and achievement of all students, including those who are disadvantaged.

Strengths

• Strong culture of safeguarding and inclusivity.
• High attendance and excellent pupil behaviour.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Ambitious and coherently arranged curriculum.
• Positive relationships between staff, pupils, and families.

Areas for Improvement

• Need for improved identification and correction of gaps in foundational skills in spelling, writing, and number.

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 Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.5% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Bishops Down Primary and Nursery 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 Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School had 19.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 45.1% 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, 10.3% of pupils at Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 6 pupils.

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 Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School received £8,190 and spent £8,134 for each of its 194 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £122,000 (£631 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 Tunbridge Wells · Kent local authority: places and applications

What is Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School is Expected standard, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School have?

Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School has 194 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School cover?

Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School?

Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School is at Rydal Drive, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 9SU.