Lady Boswell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Sevenoaks

Lady Boswell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a large primary in Sevenoaks, with 435 pupils, well above the national average. It was inspected in April 2026 under the renewed inspection framework and meets safeguarding standards. The school performs at a strong standard across every evaluated area: achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Pupils make significant progress, achieve well above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics, and are very well prepared for their next steps. Attendance is consistently high, persistent absence is very low, and pupils' behaviour is excellent. The report highlights an ambitious curriculum, expert teaching, highly effective phonics, and excellent early years provision that gives children a strong start. Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are included well and make strong progress. Leaders are highly ambitious, governors provide effective challenge and support, and staff feel well supported. Personal development is extensive, with pupils developing confidence, tolerance and a wide range of talents beyond the classroom. The school context includes low proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and pupils with SEND compared with national averages, and one of the co-headteachers has changed since the last inspection. The only identified next step is for leaders to continue embedding the high-quality approach to assessment across all subjects so that pupils can deepen their knowledge and understanding even further. No other concerns were raised in the inspection.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed.
• Pupils achieve significantly above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics, sustained over time.
• Pupils with SEND make rapid progress from their starting points.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well and make significant progress.
• Attendance is consistently high and persistent absence is very low.
• Pupils' behaviour is excellent, and bullying or unkindness is extremely rare.
• The curriculum is highly ambitious and meets all pupils' needs.
• Teachers are subject experts who model learning precisely and check understanding systematically.
• Phonics teaching is highly effective, helping pupils become confident, fluent readers.
• Early years provision gives children an excellent start and prepares them very well for Year 1.
• Inclusion strategies are high quality and staff adapt learning effectively for all pupils.
• Leaders have high aspirations, a precise understanding of strengths, and communicate ambition effectively.
• Governors provide rigorous challenge and support and fulfil statutory duties diligently.
• Staff workload and wellbeing are prioritised, and staff are well motivated.
• Personal development is extensive and prepares pupils very well for life in modern Britain.
• Pastoral care is high quality and helps pupils feel well cared for and ready to learn.

Areas for Improvement

• The high-quality approach to assessment should be further embedded across all subjects so pupils can deepen their knowledge and understanding even further.

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 Lady Boswell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Sevenoaks attended 96.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.2% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Lady Boswell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Sevenoaks 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 Lady Boswell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Sevenoaks had 21.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.3% 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, 9.4% of pupils at Lady Boswell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Sevenoaks were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.8% 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 Lady Boswell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Sevenoaks received £6,618 and spent £6,804 for each of its 434 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £80,000 (£184 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 Lady Boswell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Sevenoaks's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lady Boswell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Sevenoaks is Strong standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Lady Boswell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Sevenoaks last inspected by Ofsted?

Lady Boswell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Sevenoaks was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Lady Boswell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Sevenoaks have?

Lady Boswell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Sevenoaks has 434 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lady Boswell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Sevenoaks cover?

Lady Boswell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Sevenoaks for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Lady Boswell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Sevenoaks's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Lady Boswell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Sevenoaks?

Lady Boswell's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Sevenoaks is at Plymouth Drive, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 3RW.