Fordcombe Church of England Primary School
The Green, Fordcombe, Tunbridge Wells, TN3 0RY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE TENAX SCHOOLS TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Julie Burton
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rochester
- Sponsor
- The Tenax Schools Trust
- Constituency
- Tonbridge
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 57
- URN
- 146400
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01892740224
About this school
Fordcombe Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Tunbridge Wells. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 57 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Fordcombe 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. 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 18 October 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 | 17 | 15 | 13 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 100% | 33% | 62% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 29% | 13% | 23% |
| Expected standard in reading | 100% | 67% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 100% | 33% | 69% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 94% | 60% | 69% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 110.0 | 105.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 102.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +4.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.20 | - | - |
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 Fordcombe 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 | 100% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 33% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 62% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 70 |
| 2023/24 | 58 |
| 2024/25 | 62 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Fordcombe Church of England Primary School compares
Fordcombe Church of England Primary School ranked 249th of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 45% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 15% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 62% | 8.2% | 33.9% | 57 | — |
| Langton Green Primary School | 88% | 4.3% | 5.4% | 422 | 1.2 miles |
| Speldhurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 81% | 4% | 6.1% | 212 | 1.8 miles |
| Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School | 65% | 6.4% | 45.1% | 108 | 2.1 miles |
| Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 50% | 4.2% | 15.1% | 79 | 2.1 miles |
| Groombridge St Thomas' Church of England Primary School | 74% | 3.9% | 4.6% | 117 | 2.2 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)
- 33.87%
- English as an additional language
- 14.5%
- Overall absence
- 8.24%
- Persistent absence
- 21.43%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Langton Green Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
Speldhurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Tonbridge
-
Groombridge St Thomas' Church of England Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
Other schools in Tunbridge Wells
Fordcombe Church of England Primary School ranks 17th 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
- 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
- Skinners' Temple Grove Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Fordcombe Church of England Primary School teach?
- Fordcombe Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Tunbridge Wells.
- Who is the headteacher of Fordcombe Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Fordcombe Church of England Primary School is Mrs Julie Burton, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Fordcombe Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Fordcombe 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 Fordcombe Church of England Primary School?
- Fordcombe Church of England Primary School has 57 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Fordcombe Church of England Primary School full?
- Fordcombe Church of England Primary School has capacity for 105 pupils and 57 on roll (54%), 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 Fordcombe Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Fordcombe Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Rochester.
- Does Fordcombe Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Fordcombe Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Fordcombe Church of England Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Fordcombe Church of England Primary 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 Fordcombe 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 100% in 2022/23 and 62% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Fordcombe Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in Kent?
- Fordcombe Church of England Primary School ranked 249th of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 45% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 15% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Fordcombe Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Fordcombe Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 8.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Fordcombe Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Fordcombe 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 10 July 2026.