Tunbury Primary School

Tunbury Primary School has been assessed as performing well, achieving an overall effectiveness rating of good in all inspected areas. The school fosters a strong sense of community, encouraging cooperation and inclusion among pupils. Leaders have developed a well-structured and ambitious curriculum that supports all learners, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. Pupils' happiness, safety, and engagement in learning are notable strengths, with positive feedback from parents about the recent improvements made since the last inspection. The school has undergone significant staffing changes and this inspection was the first since the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been taken into account in the evaluation.

Strengths

• Strong community spirit and collaboration among staff and pupils.
• Well-planned and ambitious curriculum engaging all pupils.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
• High prioritization of reading and phonics, leading to fluent readers.
• Teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge and support pupils' understanding.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils do not securely remember what they have learned before moving on.
• Perception issues regarding the management of behavior incidents among stakeholders.

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 Tunbury Primary School attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.8% 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, 0.4% of pupils at Tunbury 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 Tunbury Primary School had 20.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.5% 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, 11.6% of pupils at Tunbury 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 Tunbury Primary School received £6,303 and spent £6,359 for each of its 501 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £207,000 (£413 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 Chatham · Kent local authority: places and applications

What is Tunbury Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Tunbury Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was Tunbury Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Tunbury Primary School was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does Tunbury Primary School have?

Tunbury Primary School has 501 pupils on roll.

What age range does Tunbury Primary School cover?

Tunbury Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Tunbury Primary School?

Tunbury Primary School is at Tunbury Avenue, Walderslade, Chatham, Kent, ME5 9HY.