Benenden Church of England Primary School
Rolvenden Road, Cranbrook, TN17 4EH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Alison Brook
- Diocese
- Diocese of Canterbury
- Federation
- The 10:10 Primary Federation
- Constituency
- Weald of Kent
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 213
- URN
- 118597
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01580240565
About this school
Benenden Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Cranbrook. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 213 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Benenden Church of England Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 24 February 2022, 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 | 30 | 29 | 28 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 77% | 69% | 82% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 24% | 21% |
| Expected standard in reading | 87% | 76% | 86% |
| Expected standard in maths | 93% | 76% | 82% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 73% | 69% | 93% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 108.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 108.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +4.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.80 | - | - |
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 Benenden Church of England Primary 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 | 77% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 69% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 82% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 211 |
| 2023/24 | 209 |
| 2024/25 | 210 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Benenden Church of England Primary School compares
Benenden Church of England Primary School ranked 41st of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 90% 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 | 82% | 3.8% | 9.5% | 213 | — |
| Rolvenden Primary School | 73% | 4.9% | 28.6% | 90 | 2.4 miles |
| Sandhurst Primary School | 68% | 4.4% | 21.9% | 179 | 2.8 miles |
| Hawkhurst Church of England Primary School | 67% | 5.8% | 34% | 192 | 3.0 miles |
| Cranbrook Church of England Primary School | 53% | 5.9% | 38.2% | 200 | 3.1 miles |
| Sissinghurst Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School | 64% | 5.4% | 24.9% | 194 | 3.4 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)
- 9.52%
- English as an additional language
- 1%
- Overall absence
- 3.77%
- Persistent absence
- 9.52%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Rolvenden Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Cranbrook
-
Sandhurst Primary School2.8 miles
Primary · Cranbrook
-
Hawkhurst Church of England Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Cranbrook
-
Cranbrook Church of England Primary School3.1 miles
Primary · Cranbrook
-
Sissinghurst Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School3.4 miles
Primary · Cranbrook
Other schools in Cranbrook
Benenden Church of England Primary School ranks 1st of the 9 ranked primary schools in Cranbrook.
- Colliers Green Church of England Primary School Primary
- Cranbrook Church of England Primary School Primary
- Frittenden Church of England Primary School Primary
- Goudhurst and Kilndown Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hawkhurst Church of England Primary School Primary
- Rolvenden Primary School Primary
- Sandhurst Primary School Primary
- Sissinghurst Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School Primary
- Cranbrook School Secondary
- Benenden School Independent schools
- Bethany School Independent schools
- St Ronan's School Independent schools
Common questions
- What ages does Benenden Church of England Primary School teach?
- Benenden Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Cranbrook.
- Who is the headteacher of Benenden Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Benenden Church of England Primary School is Mrs Alison Brook, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Benenden Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Benenden Church of England Primary 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 Benenden Church of England Primary School?
- Benenden Church of England Primary School has 213 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is Benenden Church of England Primary School full?
- Benenden Church of England Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 213 on roll (101%), so it is at or above 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 Benenden Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Benenden Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Canterbury.
- Does Benenden Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Benenden Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Benenden Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Benenden Church of England Primary School is part of the The 10:10 Primary Federation federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Benenden Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 77% in 2022/23 and 82% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Benenden Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in Kent?
- Benenden Church of England Primary School ranked 41st of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 90% 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 Benenden Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Benenden Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Benenden Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Benenden Church of England Primary 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.