Shipbourne School
Stumble Hill, Shipbourne, Tonbridge, TN11 9PB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Terri Daters
- Federation
- The Bourne Partnership
- Constituency
- Tonbridge
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 59
- Pupils on roll
- 55
- URN
- 118311
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01732810344
About this school
Shipbourne School is a community primary school in Tonbridge. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 55 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Shipbourne School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 9 July 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 57% | 86% | 86% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 29% | 14% | 14% |
| Expected standard in reading | 71% | 86% | 86% |
| Expected standard in maths | 71% | 86% | 86% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 86% | 86% | 71% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 110.0 | 105.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 110.0 | 107.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | - | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | - | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Shipbourne School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Kent average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 57% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 86% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 86% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 60 |
| 2023/24 | 55 |
| 2024/25 | 58 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Shipbourne School compares
Shipbourne School ranked 22nd of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 89% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 86% | 3.7% | 8.6% | 55 | — |
| Plaxtol Primary School | 85% | 5.6% | 17.1% | 85 | 1.1 miles |
| St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary School | 86% | 4.9% | 12.3% | 367 | 1.9 miles |
| St Lawrence Church of England Primary School | 75% | 7.2% | 8.3% | 87 | 2.1 miles |
| Cage Green Primary School | 57% | 5.4% | 50% | 208 | 2.2 miles |
| Woodlands Primary School | 74% | 5.1% | 25.1% | 540 | 2.2 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 8.62%
- English as an additional language
- 10.3%
- Overall absence
- 3.71%
- Persistent absence
- 1.92%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Plaxtol Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Sevenoaks
-
St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Tonbridge
-
St Lawrence Church of England Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Sevenoaks
-
Cage Green Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Tonbridge
-
Woodlands Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Tonbridge
Other schools in Tonbridge
Shipbourne School ranks 3rd of the 22 ranked primary schools in Tonbridge.
- Bishop Chavasse Primary School Primary
- Brenchley and Matfield Church of England Primary School Primary
- Cage Green Primary School Primary
- Capel Primary School Primary
- East Peckham Primary School Primary
- Hadlow Primary School Primary
- Hildenborough Church of England Primary School Primary
- Leigh Academy Horsmonden Primary
- Leigh Academy Marden Primary
- Leigh Academy Paddock Wood Primary
- Leigh Primary School Primary
- Long Mead Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Shipbourne School teach?
- Shipbourne School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Tonbridge.
- Who is the headteacher of Shipbourne School?
- The headteacher of Shipbourne School is Mrs Terri Daters, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Shipbourne School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Shipbourne School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Shipbourne School?
- Shipbourne School has 55 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Shipbourne School full?
- Shipbourne School has capacity for 59 pupils and 55 on roll (93%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Shipbourne School a faith school?
- No. Shipbourne School has no designated religious character.
- Does Shipbourne School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Shipbourne School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Shipbourne School part of an academy trust?
- Shipbourne School is part of the The Bourne Partnership federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Shipbourne School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 57% in 2022/23 and 86% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Shipbourne School compare with other schools in Kent?
- Shipbourne School ranked 22nd of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 89% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Shipbourne School's absence rate?
- Shipbourne School's overall absence rate is 3.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Shipbourne School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Shipbourne School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.