St Peter's Church of England Primary School

St Peter’s Church of England Primary School is a strong, inclusive and happy school where pupils achieve well and are very well prepared personally and academically for their next stage. Behaviour is exemplary, pupils are kind and engaged, and personal development is a particular strength: pupils take on responsible roles, contribute to charity and community life, and understand values such as democracy, tolerance and respect. Leadership is highly effective, with a united community, effective governors, supportive staff workload arrangements, and confident parents; safeguarding is effective. The curriculum is ambitious and clearly sequenced from Reception to Year 6, with a strong focus on reading, phonics and vocabulary. Pupils who struggle with reading are identified and supported quickly, SEND needs are identified carefully and learning is adapted well, and pupils attain highly, especially in English and mathematics. Early years provision is good, with a strong emphasis on talk and communication that prepares children well for key stage 1. The main area for improvement is the wider curriculum. Although it has been revised, teaching in some wider subjects is not yet as confident and clear as in English and mathematics, and the school should keep checking that pupils remember essential knowledge and build on it as successfully. This is the first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the school had not been inspected under section 5 since 2014; it has also moved site, expanded to one-form entry and appointed a new headteacher in January 2023.

Strengths

• Pupils behave exceptionally well and the school is calm, settled and orderly.
• Pupils are kind, inclusive and champion the school’s values of courage, respect and compassion.
• Pupils take on roles such as librarians and lunchtime leaders and help others diligently.
• An ambitious, clearly sequenced curriculum is in place from Reception to Year 6.
• Reading and phonics are prioritised, with quick support for pupils who struggle.
• Pupils attain highly, particularly in English and mathematics.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and learning is adapted well so they are included and successful.
• Early years staff expertly develop children’s talk, communication and vocabulary.
• Pupils are highly engaged and enjoy a broad range of subjects, including music.
• Personal development is exemplary, with strong citizenship, charity and community opportunities.
• The behaviour policy is consistently applied and relationships are warm and inclusive.
• Leadership has built a united school community and focuses sharply on improving outcomes.
• Staff feel their views and workload are considered when decisions are made.
• Governors know the school very well and carry out their duties highly effectively.
• Parents are confident in the school and welcome opportunities to be involved.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Some wider-curriculum teaching lacks the clarity and confidence seen in English and mathematics.
• Leaders need to ensure pupils retain and build on essential knowledge across the wider curriculum.

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 St Peter's Church of England Primary School attended 95.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.1% 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, 0.9% of pupils at St Peter's Church of England 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 St Peter's Church of England Primary School had 18.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.6% 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, 7.7% of pupils at St Peter's Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% 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 St Peter's Church of England Primary School received £6,882 and spent £6,934 for each of its 208 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £89,000 (£429 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).

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What is St Peter's Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Peter's Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was St Peter's Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Peter's Church of England Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does St Peter's Church of England Primary School have?

St Peter's Church of England Primary School has 208 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Peter's Church of England Primary School cover?

St Peter's Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Peter's Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Peter's Church of England Primary School?

St Peter's Church of England Primary School is at Hawkenbury Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN2 5BW.