Bennett Memorial Diocesan School
Culverden Down, Tunbridge Wells, TN4 9SH
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE TENAX SCHOOLS TRUST
- Headteacher
- Dr Karen Brookes
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rochester
- Sponsor
- The Tenax Schools Trust
- Constituency
- Tunbridge Wells
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,452
- Pupils on roll
- 1,913
- URN
- 136603
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01892521595
About this school
Bennett Memorial Diocesan School is a Church of England secondary academy in Tunbridge Wells. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,913 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Sixth form
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 266 | 294 | 296 |
| Attainment 8 score | 58.2 | 56.0 | 54.0 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.95 +0.77 to +1.13 | +0.73 +0.55 to +0.90 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 68% | 61.2% | 57.8% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 88% | 84.4% | 84.5% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 89% | 87.8% | 88.9% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 5.4 | 5.3 | 5.1 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Bennett Memorial Diocesan 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 | 58.2 | 37.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 56 | 37.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 54 | 37.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,865 |
| 2023/24 | 1,897 |
| 2024/25 | 1,892 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bennett Memorial Diocesan School compares
Bennett Memorial Diocesan School ranked 34th of 100 secondary schools in Kent for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 85% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 54 | 5.1% | 10.1% | 1,913 | — |
| Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School | 73.4 | 5.1% | 3.5% | 1,123 | 0.5 miles |
| The Skinners' School | 70.8 | 3.4% | 5.8% | 1,149 | 0.6 miles |
| St Gregory's Catholic School | 43.8 | 8.6% | 20.6% | 1,093 | 0.8 miles |
| Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys | 63.7 | 5.1% | 5.9% | 1,875 | 0.8 miles |
| Skinners' Kent Academy | 38.4 | 8% | 31.1% | 1,017 | 1.9 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)
- 10.05%
- English as an additional language
- 11.5%
- Overall absence
- 5.1%
- Persistent absence
- 12.03%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School0.5 miles
Secondary · Tunbridge Wells
-
The Skinners' School0.6 miles
Secondary · Tunbridge Wells
-
St Gregory's Catholic School0.8 miles
Secondary · Tunbridge Wells
-
Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys0.8 miles
Secondary · Tunbridge Wells
-
Skinners' Kent Academy1.9 miles
Secondary · Tunbridge Wells
Other schools in Tunbridge Wells
Bennett Memorial Diocesan School ranks 4th of the 6 ranked secondary schools in Tunbridge Wells.
- Skinners' Kent Academy Secondary
- St Gregory's Catholic School Secondary
- The Skinners' School Secondary
- Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School Secondary
- Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys Secondary
- 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
Common questions
- What year groups does Bennett Memorial Diocesan School teach?
- Bennett Memorial Diocesan School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Tunbridge Wells.
- Who is the headteacher of Bennett Memorial Diocesan School?
- The headteacher of Bennett Memorial Diocesan School is Dr Karen Brookes, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Bennett Memorial Diocesan School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bennett Memorial Diocesan 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 Bennett Memorial Diocesan School?
- Bennett Memorial Diocesan School has 1,913 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Bennett Memorial Diocesan School full?
- Bennett Memorial Diocesan School has capacity for 1,452 pupils and 1,913 on roll (132%), 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 Bennett Memorial Diocesan School a faith school?
- Yes. Bennett Memorial Diocesan School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Rochester.
- Is Bennett Memorial Diocesan School a selective school?
- No. Bennett Memorial Diocesan School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Bennett Memorial Diocesan School?
- Bennett Memorial Diocesan School is part of THE TENAX SCHOOLS TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Bennett Memorial Diocesan School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 58.2 in 2022/23 and 54 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bennett Memorial Diocesan School rank locally?
- Bennett Memorial Diocesan School ranked 34th of 100 secondary schools in Kent for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 85% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Bennett Memorial Diocesan School's absence rate?
- Bennett Memorial Diocesan School's overall absence rate is 5.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bennett Memorial Diocesan School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bennett Memorial Diocesan 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 1 July 2026.