Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
High Street, Penshurst, Tonbridge, TN11 8BX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Susan Elliott
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rochester
- Constituency
- Tonbridge
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 79
- URN
- 118720
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01892870446
About this school
Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Tonbridge. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 79 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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 17 November 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 | 15 | 7 | 12 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 60% | 71% | 50% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 8% |
| Expected standard in reading | 87% | 86% | 67% |
| Expected standard in maths | 73% | 100% | 58% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | 86% | 67% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 110.0 | 109.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 109.0 | 101.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -4.30 | - | - |
| 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 Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 | 60% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 71% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 50% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 84 |
| 2023/24 | 80 |
| 2024/25 | 86 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School compares
Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 347th of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 21% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 79% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 50% | 4.2% | 15.1% | 79 | — |
| Chiddingstone Church of England School | 87% | 3.4% | 4.3% | 209 | 1.7 miles |
| Fordcombe Church of England Primary School | 62% | 8.2% | 33.9% | 57 | 2.1 miles |
| Speldhurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 81% | 4% | 6.1% | 212 | 2.3 miles |
| Leigh Primary School | 67% | 3.4% | 18.7% | 126 | 2.3 miles |
| Bidborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 79% | 3.7% | 5.1% | 200 | 2.5 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)
- 15.12%
- English as an additional language
- 3.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.22%
- Persistent absence
- 12.35%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Chiddingstone Church of England School1.7 miles
Primary · Edenbridge
-
Fordcombe Church of England Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
Speldhurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School2.3 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
Leigh Primary School2.3 miles
Primary · Tonbridge
-
Bidborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
Other schools in Tonbridge
Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranks 18th 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 year groups does Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teach?
- Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Tonbridge.
- Who is the headteacher of Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- The headteacher of Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Mrs Susan Elliott, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 big is Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 79 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School full?
- Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has capacity for 105 pupils and 79 on roll (75%), 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 Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Rochester.
- Does Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 60% in 2022/23 and 50% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School rank locally?
- Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 347th of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 21% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 79% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's absence rate?
- Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided 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.