Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes

Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes is a highly effective school where pupils are eager, resilient and respectful learners. Classrooms are calm and focused, pupils support one another well, attendance is strong, and pupils feel safe and well cared for. The school also provides rich wider opportunities, including careers education, pupil leadership roles and emotional support. The curriculum is highly ambitious, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and is well sequenced from the early years. A strong focus on oracy and vocabulary helps pupils communicate confidently, while expert phonics teaching and frequent checks help all pupils become fluent readers. Teachers present learning clearly, use questioning well and adapt work to pupils' starting points, so pupils achieve exceptionally well. The school's specialist resource provision for pupils with autism is part of its inclusive approach, and pupils take pride in roles such as autism ambassadors. Leadership is united and effective, with strong trust and local board oversight, and staff value the support for their development and workload. Parents are highly positive, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. Inspectors judged all key areas outstanding and identified no areas for improvement. The school was previously graded good and, as a graded inspection from September 2024, it did not receive an overall effectiveness grade.

Strengths

• Exceptionally high aspirations and an ambitious curriculum, including for pupils with SEND
• Pupils show remarkable resilience, independence and support for their peers
• Exemplary behaviour and calm, focused classrooms
• Strong early reading and phonics with effective support for pupils who need to catch up
• Well-sequenced curriculum with a sharp focus on oracy and vocabulary
• Teachers use questioning and adaptation effectively to check understanding and address misconceptions
• Pupils achieve exceptionally well and take pride in their work
• Rich wider opportunities, careers education and meaningful pupil leadership roles
• Thoughtful adaptation of opportunities for disadvantaged pupils
• Effective leadership, trust oversight and support for staff development and well-being
• Strong personal development and emotional support, with pupils feeling safe
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Inclusive specialist resource provision for pupils with autism

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 Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes attended 96.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.0% 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, 0.4% of pupils at Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes 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 Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes had 17.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.8% 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, 13.2% of pupils at Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 12.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 18 pupils.

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 2024–25 Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes received £7,608 and spent £7,259 for each of its 229 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £434,000 (£1,897 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Valley Invicta Academies Trust, income was £7,135 and spending £6,722 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 Tonbridge And Malling · Kent local authority: places and applications

Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes is part of Valley Invicta Academies Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Valley Invicta Primary School At Leybourne Chase West Malling
• Valley Invicta Primary School At Aylesford Aylesford
• Valley Invicta Primary School At Kings Hill West Malling
• Valley Invicta Primary School At East Borough Maidstone
• Invicta Grammar School Maidstone
• Valley Park School Maidstone
• School of Science and Technology Maidstone Maidstone
• The Lenham School Maidstone

What is Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes is Outstanding, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes last inspected by Ofsted?

Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes have?

Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes has 234 pupils on roll.

What age range does Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes cover?

Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 81% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes?

Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes is at Holborough Lakes, Pollyfield Close, Snodland, Kent, ME6 5GR.