Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School continues to perform well, maintaining its good status since its last inspection in 2017. The school is characterized by a strong Christian ethos and a nurturing environment, where staff foster positive relationships with pupils, promoting both their academic and personal development. Parents appreciate the school's caring nature, describing it as a 'family' that supports children in flourishing and feeling confident. The curriculum is ambitious and well-designed, with effective phonics instruction and a strong emphasis on early reading to help pupils read fluently. However, there are areas needing improvement, such as ensuring consistent subject knowledge across all teachers to enhance pupil learning in every subject area.

Strengths

• Supportive and positive relationships between staff and pupils
• A well-designed and ambitious curriculum that covers national requirements
• Effective teaching of phonics and early reading
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
• Good conduct and positive attitudes among pupils
• Wide range of personal development opportunities for pupils
• Strong culture of safeguarding within the school
• High levels of parental satisfaction

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent subject knowledge among some teachers leading to variable pupil achievement

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 Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.3% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School had 14.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.7% 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, 15.2% of pupils at Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.3% 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 Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School received £9,466 and spent £9,447 for each of its 79 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £52,000 (£659 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 Tonbridge · Kent local authority: places and applications

What is Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2023.

When was Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School was last inspected in January 2023.

How many pupils does Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have?

Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 79 pupils on roll.

What age range does Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School cover?

Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 50% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?

Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is at High Street, Penshurst, Tonbridge, Kent, TN11 8BX.