Updated October 2019
Entries on this page include the OFSTED Grade for each Primary School updated twice a year, also recording change from previous Inspection result, together with some other relevant information below. It is worth using the search engine on the Home Page to pick up other references to individual schools.
You will find advice on Primary school Admissions and Appeals here.
You can read the full Report on each Primary School at OFSTED. Each school is awarded a main Grade: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement (previously Satisfactory), and Inadequate (two sub categories - A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better - A school that requires special measures is one where the school is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school). Each Report carries a brief description of the school before justifying its decision in more detail. If a school is in Special Measures or Serious Weaknesses, the results of further monitoring visits are noted.
A majority of the schools that have previously had a 'Good' or 'Outstanding' assessment are given a Short Inspection (known as Section 8). These are indicated by 'Good (S). These will be confirmed in their assessment grade. However for some of these schools, the Inspection Team may consider that there are concerns, or in the case of a Good school, grounds for raising the Grade and this can only be done by a full Section Five Grade. These are recorded for example as 'Outstanding (SC) or 'Good (SR).
You will find an analysis of oversubscription and vacancies for Tonbridge Primary Places for September 2019 Allocations here, 2018 here, for 2017 here, and for 2016 here.
You will find a good website to provide a host of factual data about individual Kent schools here.
Reports on Inspections between between September 2018 and July 2019 are in the first table, followed by other tables containing older ones.
(A) Indicates the school is an Academy (2017 onwards)
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TONBRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL
OFSTED REPORTS Sep 18 - July 19
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| School |
OFSTED Grade |
Date | Change |
| Brenchley & Matfield (A) | Good (S) | Nov 18 | No change |
| Shipbourne | Good (S) | Mar 19 | No change |
| Woodlands* (A) | Good | Jun 19 | 1st Insp |
* First Inspection as an academy after Woodlands Junior (Good) and Infant (Outstanding) combined
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TONBRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL
OFSTED REPORTS 2017-18
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| School |
OFSTED Grade |
Date | Change |
| Stocks Green | Good | Jun 18 | No change |
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TONBRIDGE
PRIMARY SCHOOL OFSTED REPORTS 2016-17
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| School |
OFSTED Grade |
Date | Change |
| Cage Green Primary | Requires Improvement | Oct 16 | No change |
| St Stephen's (Tonbridge) Primary | Special Measures | Sept 16 | Down one |
| Sussex Road Community Primary | Good | Nov 16 | No change |
| Good | Mar 17 | No change | |
| Long Mead Community Primary |
Requires Improvement | May 17 | Down one |
| Hildenborough CofE Primary | Good | May 17 | No change |
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TONBRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL OFSTED REPORTS 2015-16 |
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| School |
OFSTED Grade |
Date | Change |
| Hadlow | Good | Mar 2016 | Up one |
| Marden | Good | Mar 2016 | Up one |
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TONBRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL OFSTED REPORTS 2014-15 |
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| School |
OFSTED Grade |
Date | Change |
| Leigh | Good | Oct 14 | Up one |
| Shipbourne | Good | Mar 15 | Up one |
| Staplehurst | Reasonable Progress to removal of SW | Nov 14 | |
| Good | Jun 15 | Up one | |
| Wateringbury | Requires Improvement | Feb 15 | No change |
Information from Oversubscription Survey of Kent primary schools, for entry September 2014.
Tonbridge town once again has no vacancies in any of its Reception classes for September with first choices polarising again around Slade Primary, which turned away 47 children. However, just 29 allocations to two schools suggests most parents are not unhappy with their offers.
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TONBRIDGE PRIMARY SCHOOL OFSTED REPORTS 2013-14 |
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| School |
OFSTED Grade |
Date | Change |
| Brenchley & Matfield CofE | Good (see below) | Nov 13 | Up one |
| Cage Green | Reasonable Progress from SM | Sep 13 | |
| Reasonable Progress from SM | Jan 14 | ||
| Requires Improvement | Jul 14 | Up one | |
| East Peckham | Good | Oct 13 | Up one |
| Hadlow | Requires Improvement | Dec 13 | No change |
| Horsmonden | Requires Improvement | Mar 14 | Down one |
| Long Mead Community | Good | Jan 14 | Up one |
| Marden | Requires Improvement | Nov 13 | Down one |
| St Stephen's | Requires Improvement | Jul 14 | No change |
| Stocks Green, Hildenborough | Good | Mar 14 | No change |
| Woodlands Infants | Good | Jan 14 | No change |
Long Mead Community Primary School is Federated with Hugh Christie Technology College.
In March 2010, Brenchley & Matfield was placed in Special Measures with an absolutely dreadful OFSTED Report. In October 2010, a Monitoring Inspection again hammered the school, with particular criticism being levelled at KCC's inadequate response. A subsequent inspection in October 2011 found the school to be 'Satisfactory' and since then it has completed a hard earned climb. The school is situated in a prosperous part of the Tonbridge District and although the initial failure came as a shock to many, the disruption in staffing provision, including some poor staff should have sent warning signs to the Authority which clearly failed to act.
2012-13 OFSTED Reports
| School |
OFSTED Grade |
Date | Change |
| Capel | Requiress Improvement | Feb 12 | No change |
|
Cage Green
|
Special Measures | Oct 12 | Down One |
| Progress from SM | Jan 13 | ||
| Reasonable progress | May 13 | ||
| Hildenborough CofE | Good | Oct 12 | Up one |
| Leigh | Requires Improvement | May 13 | Down one |
| Long Mead | Requires Improvement | Dec 12 | No change |
| Penshurst CofE VA | Good | May 13 | Down one |
| St Margaret's, Collier St, CofE VC | Good | Jul 13 | No change |
| St Stephens | Requires Improvement | Sep 12 | No change |
| Wateringbury CofE | Requires Improvement | Feb 13 | No change |
Pre September 2012 Reports
| School | Grade | Date | Comments |
| Capel Primary | Satisfactory | Jun 2011 | |
| East Peckham Primary | Satisfactory | Sep 2011 | |
| Hildenborough CofE Primary | Satisfactory | Jul 2010 | |
| Horsmonden Primary | Good | Nov 2010 | |
| Stansted CofE Primary | Satisfactory | Jun 2010 | |
| Sussex Road Primary | Good | Sep 2011 | |
| Woodlands Junior | Outstanding | May 2011 |
The following comment on September 2012 admissions was written March 2012
The town of Tonbridge has fewer children than the other pressure points, but still only has vacancies in one school. Cage Green Primary had its PAN increased by 6 to manage the increasing numbers but finished with 20 spaces. Oddly most children who were allocated, 15 in number, have been sent to Long Mead Community Primary, filling it, with just one to Cage Green. Slade Primary is the sixth most oversubscribed primary school in Kent. Woodlands Infant School, the only recent OFSTED Outstanding school in Tonbridge, turned away just 2 first choices.
The following primary school had additional Reception intake places added in March for 2011 entry, to meet local pressures:
Long Mead Primary, up from 20 to 30 places
