The Wells Free School
The Wells Free School is a free schools in Tunbridge Wells for pupils aged 4 to 11. It has 213 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for The Wells Free School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025. In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Ofsted inspection: March 2025. KS2 results: 2025.
| Type | Primary / Free schools |
| Age Range | 4-11 |
| Religion | Unknown |
| Address | King Charles Square Tunbridge Wells Kent TN4 8FA |
| Phone | 01892739075 |
| Reference Number | 139696 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 213 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 53.52%
Girls: 46.48% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 17.8% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 54% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 30.4 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 30 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 30.8 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | 13 | 30 |
| 2 | 18 | 12 | 30 |
| 3 | 14 | 16 | 30 |
| 4 | 17 | 15 | 32 |
| 5 | 16 | 14 | 30 |
| 6 | 21 | 10 | 31 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 41.3% |
| White, Other | 18.8% |
| Indian | 14.1% |
| Mixed, Other | 5.6% |
| Asian, Other | 4.2% |
| White & Asian | 3.3% |
| African | 2.3% |
| Pakistani | 1.9% |
| Chinese | 1.4% |
| Unclassified | 0.5% |
The Wells Free School continues to perform well, maintaining the standards set during its previous inspection. It fosters a supportive and safe environment for pupils, enabling them to thrive both academically and socially. The curriculum is broad, ambitious, and tailored to the diverse needs of the pupils. Leaders regularly assess and adapt the curriculum to ensure all pupils, including those with special educational needs, receive the support they need to succeed. Overall, the school is praised for its commitment to fostering a productive learning environment and effective pupil support. However, the school has identified the need to strengthen assessment practices in certain subjects within the wider curriculum. This is to ensure that teachers can effectively identify and address gaps in pupils' understanding, allowing for a deeper and interconnected comprehension of knowledge across subjects. The management structure is noted for its effectiveness, with strong leadership guiding the school through its operations.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| Last Report Date | 04 Feb 2025 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 04 Feb 2025 | School inspection |
| 18 Jun 2019 | Short inspection |
| 19 May 2015 | Full inspection: |
Strengths
- Pupils feel valued and safe, enjoying their time at school.
- The school has a broad and ambitious curriculum tailored to diverse needs.
- Strong relationships between staff and pupils create a warm learning environment.
- The mathematics curriculum is regularly reviewed and adapted to enhance pupil fluency.
- Expert subject knowledge among staff helps clarify curriculum delivery.
- Prompt identification and support for pupils with SEND enable independent learning.
- High priority placed on reading fosters fluent readers who enjoy books.
Areas for Improvement
- Some areas of the wider curriculum lack effective assessment practices, leading to gaps in knowledge.
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 68% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 6% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 106 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 106 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 0.6 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Writing | -0.7 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | -1.3 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
UnlockUnlock Premium
See how The Wells Free School ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.
£9.99 one-off payment. Lifetime access, no subscription.
Unlock for £9.99Reception admissions, 2026 entry
Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment
| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 22 | 2 |
| Third Preference | 34 | 2 |
| From another Local Authority | 0 | 0 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 The Wells Free School had 211 pupils for 210 places. That is 1 more pupils than the school has room for.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “Primary - Tunbridge Wells East” planning area
Kent counted 397 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 366 in 2029–30, down 8%.
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 168 | 168 | 168 | 168 | 168 | 168 | 168 | 168 | 210 | 210 | 210 |
| Pupils | 71 | 95 | 120 | 140 | 168 | 166 | 178 | 184 | 212 | 210 | 211 |
| Unfilled | 57.7% | 43.5% | 28.6% | 16.7% | 0.0% | 1.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
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 The Wells Free School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 4.4% | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.4% | 3.1% | 3.9% | 3.5% | 6.1% | 4.8% | 4.2% | 3.3% |
| Unauthorised absence | 0.5% | 0.9% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.0% |
| Severely absent pupils | 0.0% | 1.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.3% | 1.8% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.0% |
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, 1.4% of pupils at The Wells Free School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.4 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 The Wells Free School had 21.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 10.8 | 11.0 | 9.6 | 10.9 | 12.6 | 9.5 | 9.9 | 10.6 | 9.4 | 11.3 | 9.1 | 9.7 | 10.3 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 25.0% | 5.7% | 28.2% | 28.8% | 35.5% | 9.8% | 0.0% | 11.1% | 6.8% | 0.0% | 20.9% | 9.7% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | – | 50.0% | 42.9% | 58.3% | 23.1% | 50.0% | – | 20.0% | 71.4% | 78.6% | 60.0% | 40.0% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | – | 4.5 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 5.1 | 1.5 | – | 0.2 | 3.5 | 6.3 | 3.9 | 0.7 | – |
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, 14.1% of pupils at The Wells Free School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 12 | 3 |
| Speech, language and communication needs | 5 | 1 |
| No specialist assessment of need | 5 | 0 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 5 | 0 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 3 | 1 |
| Down's syndrome | 0 | 1 |
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 2024–25 The Wells Free School received £6,868 and spent £6,750 for each of its 212 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £73,000 (£344 per pupil).
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £78,000 | £31,000 | £16,000 | £29,000 | £42,000 | £55,000 | £73,000 |
| per pupil | £470 | £182 | £88 | £158 | £202 | £262 | £344 |
| In-year balance | £27,000 | £25,000 | £35,000 | £33,000 | £35,000 | £37,000 | £25,000 |
| per pupil | £163 | £147 | £193 | £180 | £168 | £176 | £118 |
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.
| Name | Distance |
|
St Barnabas CofE VA Primary School
Quarry Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 2EY |
0.48 miles |
|
St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Sandrock Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 3PR |
0.62 miles |
|
Rose Hill School
Coniston Avenue, Tunbridge Wells, TN4 9SY |
0.67 miles |
|
St Peter's Church of England Primary School
Hawkenbury Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN2 5BW |
0.74 miles |
|
Claremont Primary School
Banner Farm Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 5EB |
0.77 miles |
|
Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School
Rydal Drive, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 9SU |
0.79 miles |
|
The Mead School
16 Frant Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN2 5SN |
0.89 miles |
|
St Augustine's Catholic Primary School
Wilman Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 9AL |
0.9 miles |
|
St John's Church of England Primary School
Cunningham Road, St John's Ce Primary School, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 9EW |
0.94 miles |
|
Broadwater Down Primary School
Broadwater Lane, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 5RP |
1.15 miles |
|
Skinners' Temple Grove
Friars Way, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 3UA |
1.19 miles |
|
St Matthew's High Brooms Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Powder Mill Lane, High Brooms, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 9DY |
1.28 miles |
|
Southborough CofE Primary School
Broomhill Park Road, Southborough, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 0JY |
1.34 miles |
|
St Mark's Church of England Primary School
Ramslye Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 8LN |
1.36 miles |
|
Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School
High Street, Rusthall, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 8RZ |
1.44 miles |
|
Skinners' Kent Primary School
The Avenue, Knights Wood, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 3GS |
1.87 miles |
|
Speldhurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Langton Road, Speldhurst, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN3 0NP |
2.02 miles |
|
Holmewood House School
Barrow Lane, Tunbridge Wells, TN3 0EB |
2.03 miles |
|
Bidborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Spring Lane, Bidborough, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN3 0UE |
2.28 miles |
|
Langton Green Primary School
Lampington Row, Langton Green, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN3 0JG |
2.42 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
The Skinners' School
St John's Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 9PG |
0.46 miles |
|
Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School
Southfield Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 9UJ |
0.6 miles |
|
Bennett Memorial Diocesan School
Culverden Down, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 9SH |
0.7 miles |
|
Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys
St John's Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 9XB |
1.01 miles |
|
St Gregory's Catholic School
Reynolds Lane, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 9XL |
1.06 miles |
|
Beechwood School
12 Pembury Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN2 3QD |
1.15 miles |
|
Broomhill Bank School
Broomhill Road, Rusthall, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN3 0TB |
1.22 miles |
|
Skinners' Kent Academy
Sandown Park, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 4PY |
1.43 miles |
|
Oakley School
Pembury Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 4NE |
1.83 miles |
|
Meadows School
London Road, Southborough, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 0RJ |
1.96 miles |
|
Nexus Foundation Special School
Upper Haysden Lane, Tonbridge, Kent, TN11 8AA |
3.37 miles |
|
Kent College Pembury
Old Church Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN2 4AX |
3.39 miles |
|
Tonbridge Grammar School
Deakin Leas, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 2JR |
3.4 miles |
|
Weald of Kent Grammar School
Tudeley Lane, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 2JP |
3.41 miles |
|
Leigh Academy Tonbridge
Brook Street, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 2PH |
3.6 miles |
|
The Judd School
Brook Street, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 2PN |
3.6 miles |
|
Hillview School for Girls
Brionne Gardens, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 2HE |
3.73 miles |
|
Tonbridge School
|
4.47 miles |
All schools in Tunbridge Wells · Kent local authority: places and applications
What is The Wells Free School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for The Wells Free School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.
When was The Wells Free School last inspected by Ofsted?
The Wells Free School was last inspected in March 2025.
How many pupils does The Wells Free School have?
The Wells Free School has 213 pupils on roll.
What age range does The Wells Free School cover?
The Wells Free School for pupils aged 4 to 11.
What are The Wells Free School's SATs (KS2) results?
In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Where is The Wells Free School?
The Wells Free School is at King Charles Square, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 8FA.