Staplehurst School
Gybbon Rise, Staplehurst, Tonbridge, TN12 0LZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lucy Wall
- Constituency
- Weald of Kent
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 525
- Pupils on roll
- 398
- URN
- 118313
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01580891765
About this school
Staplehurst School is a community primary school in Tonbridge. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 398 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Staplehurst 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 65 | 60 | 50 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 52% | 45% | 42% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 8% | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 62% | 58% | 52% |
| Expected standard in maths | 62% | 60% | 48% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 57% | 53% | 44% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 103.0 | 100.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 101.0 | 97.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.10 | - | - |
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 Staplehurst 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 | 52% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 45% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 42% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 406 |
| 2023/24 | 390 |
| 2024/25 | 383 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Staplehurst School compares
Staplehurst School ranked 392nd of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 13% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 28% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 42% | 6.8% | 23.8% | 398 | — |
| Frittenden Church of England Primary School | 73% | 6.6% | 17.4% | 100 | 2.4 miles |
| Leigh Academy Marden | 74% | 5.7% | 35.7% | 323 | 2.8 miles |
| Headcorn Primary School | 62% | 6.5% | 26.3% | 401 | 3.1 miles |
| Colliers Green Church of England Primary School | 75% | 4.4% | 7% | 109 | 3.3 miles |
| Sissinghurst Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School | 64% | 5.4% | 24.9% | 194 | 3.5 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)
- 23.76%
- English as an additional language
- 6.3%
- Overall absence
- 6.79%
- Persistent absence
- 20%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Frittenden Church of England Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Cranbrook
-
Leigh Academy Marden2.8 miles
Primary · Tonbridge
-
Headcorn Primary School3.1 miles
Primary · Headcorn
-
Colliers Green Church of England Primary School3.3 miles
Primary · Cranbrook
-
Sissinghurst Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School3.5 miles
Primary · Cranbrook
Other schools in Tonbridge
Staplehurst School ranks 20th 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 Staplehurst School teach?
- Staplehurst School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Tonbridge.
- Who is the headteacher of Staplehurst School?
- The headteacher of Staplehurst School is Mrs Lucy Wall, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Staplehurst School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Staplehurst 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 Staplehurst School?
- Staplehurst School has 398 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Staplehurst School full?
- Staplehurst School has capacity for 525 pupils and 398 on roll (76%), 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 Staplehurst School a faith school?
- No. Staplehurst School has no designated religious character.
- Does Staplehurst School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Staplehurst School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Staplehurst School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 52% in 2022/23 and 42% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Staplehurst School compare with other schools in Kent?
- Staplehurst School ranked 392nd of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 13% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 28% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Staplehurst School's absence rate?
- Staplehurst School's overall absence rate is 6.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Staplehurst School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Staplehurst 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.