Bennett Memorial Diocesan School

Bennett Memorial Diocesan School is performing exceptionally well, maintaining an outstanding rating across all evaluated areas since its last routine inspection in 2012. The school demonstrates a strong commitment to inclusivity and ambition, providing a broad and challenging curriculum that enables all pupils, including those with special educational needs, to excel. The school's focus on personal development complements its academic achievements, with a well-structured co-curriculum cultivating essential character traits among students.

Strengths

• Highly ambitious for its pupils across all backgrounds and abilities.
• Exceptional support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Rigorous and ongoing staff training contributing to curriculum refinement.
• Outstanding behaviour and conduct among pupils, leading to minimal disruption.
• Extensive opportunities for pupils to develop talents and interests.
• Strong emphasis on reading across all subjects, fostering a love for literature.
• Effective personal development programs that prepare pupils for modern life.
• Systematic and high-quality professional development for staff.

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 Bennett Memorial Diocesan School attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 12.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 1.2% of pupils at Bennett Memorial Diocesan School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Bennett Memorial Diocesan School had 18.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 10.5% of pupils at Bennett Memorial Diocesan School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Bennett Memorial Diocesan School received £7,049 and spent £7,579 for each of its 1,895 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,000,000 (£1,055 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of The Tenax Schools Trust, income was £7,568 and spending £7,384 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Tunbridge Wells · Kent local authority: places and applications

Bennett Memorial Diocesan School is part of The Tenax Schools Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• St Mark's Church of England Primary School Tunbridge Wells
• Fordcombe Church of England Primary School Tunbridge Wells
• Bishop Chavasse Primary School Tonbridge
• Brenchley and Matfield Church of England Primary School Tonbridge
• Sir Henry Fermor Church of England Primary School Crowborough
• Jarvis Brook Primary School Crowborough
• West Malling Church of England Primary School and McGinty Speech and Language Srp West Malling
• Leybourne, St Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary Academy West Malling

What is Bennett Memorial Diocesan School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bennett Memorial Diocesan School is Outstanding, from an inspection in January 2024.

When was Bennett Memorial Diocesan School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bennett Memorial Diocesan School was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does Bennett Memorial Diocesan School have?

Bennett Memorial Diocesan School has 1,913 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bennett Memorial Diocesan School cover?

Bennett Memorial Diocesan School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Bennett Memorial Diocesan School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 53.4, and 57% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Bennett Memorial Diocesan School?

Bennett Memorial Diocesan School is at Culverden Down, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 9SH.