The Wells Free School
King Charles Square, Tunbridge Wells, TN4 8FA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE WELLS FREE SCHOOL
- Headteacher
- Mrs Katharine Le Page
- Constituency
- Tunbridge Wells
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 213
- URN
- 139696
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01892739075
About this school
The Wells Free School is a primary academy in Tunbridge Wells. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 213 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 5 February 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 28 | 29 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 71% | 62% | 68% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 3% | 6% |
| Expected standard in reading | 79% | 83% | 74% |
| Expected standard in maths | 75% | 66% | 84% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 75% | 55% | 74% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 102.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.30 | - | - |
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 The Wells Free 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 | 71% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 62% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 68% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 208 |
| 2023/24 | 210 |
| 2024/25 | 212 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Wells Free School compares
The Wells Free School ranked 178th of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 68% | 4.3% | 18.9% | 213 | — |
| St Barnabas CofE VA Primary School | 67% | 5.7% | 34% | 201 | 0.5 miles |
| St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 72% | 4.5% | 10.3% | 629 | 0.6 miles |
| St Peter's Church of England Primary School | 70% | 4.1% | 14.2% | 208 | 0.7 miles |
| Claremont Primary School | 80% | 3.2% | 3.5% | 436 | 0.8 miles |
| Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School | 67% | 4.8% | 17% | 194 | 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)
- 18.87%
- English as an additional language
- 49.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.3%
- Persistent absence
- 7.03%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Barnabas CofE VA Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
St Peter's Church of England Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
Claremont Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School0.8 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
Other schools in Tunbridge Wells
The Wells Free School ranks 11th 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 The Wells Free School teach?
- The Wells Free School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Tunbridge Wells.
- Who is the headteacher of The Wells Free School?
- The headteacher of The Wells Free School is Mrs Katharine Le Page, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The Wells Free School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Wells Free 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 The Wells Free School?
- The Wells Free School has 213 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is The Wells Free School full?
- The Wells Free 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 The Wells Free School a faith school?
- No. The Wells Free School has no designated religious character.
- Does The Wells Free School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records The Wells Free School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs The Wells Free School?
- The Wells Free School is part of THE WELLS FREE SCHOOL. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Wells Free School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 71% in 2022/23 and 68% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Wells Free School rank locally?
- The Wells Free School ranked 178th of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Wells Free School's absence rate?
- The Wells Free School's overall absence rate is 4.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Wells Free School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Wells Free 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.