St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Sandrock Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN2 3PR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Executive Headteacher
- Mr John Tutt
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rochester
- Constituency
- Tunbridge Wells
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 630
- Pupils on roll
- 629
- URN
- 118725
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01892523006
About this school
St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Tunbridge Wells. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 629 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
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
- Outstanding
- 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 | 92 | 90 | 92 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 75% | 72% | 72% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 12% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 89% | 90% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 79% | 82% | 84% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 86% | 80% | 83% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 109.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.40 | - | - |
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 St James' 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 | 75% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 72% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 72% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 631 |
| 2023/24 | 629 |
| 2024/25 | 632 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School compares
St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 132nd of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 71% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 72% | 4.5% | 10.3% | 629 | — |
| St Peter's Church of England Primary School | 70% | 4.1% | 14.2% | 208 | 0.3 miles |
| St Barnabas CofE VA Primary School | 67% | 5.7% | 34% | 201 | 0.4 miles |
| Claremont Primary School | 80% | 3.2% | 3.5% | 436 | 0.6 miles |
| The Wells Free School | 68% | 4.3% | 18.9% | 213 | 0.6 miles |
| Skinners' Temple Grove | 39% | 8.8% | 54.8% | 163 | 0.8 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)
- 10.28%
- English as an additional language
- 35.9%
- Overall absence
- 4.54%
- Persistent absence
- 8.47%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Peter's Church of England Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
St Barnabas CofE VA Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
Claremont Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
The Wells Free School0.6 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
Skinners' Temple Grove0.8 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
Other schools in Tunbridge Wells
St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranks 8th of the 23 ranked primary schools in Tunbridge Wells.
- Bidborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Broadwater Down Primary School Primary
- Claremont Primary School Primary
- Fordcombe Church of England Primary School Primary
- Frant Church of England Primary School Primary
- Groombridge St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Primary
- Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School Primary
- Langton Green Primary School Primary
- Pembury School Primary
- Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School Primary
- Skinners' Kent Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teach?
- St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Tunbridge Wells.
- Who is the executive headteacher of St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- The executive headteacher of St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Mr John Tutt, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St James' 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 St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 629 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School full?
- St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has capacity for 630 pupils and 629 on roll (100%), 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 St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Rochester.
- Does St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have St James' 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 75% in 2022/23 and 72% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School rank locally?
- St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 132nd of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 71% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's absence rate?
- St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St James' 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.