Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School
High Street, Rusthall, Tunbridge Wells, TN4 8RZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- INSPIRE ACADEMY MOVEMENT TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lyndsay Smurthwaite
- Diocese
- Diocese of Rochester
- Constituency
- Tunbridge Wells
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 150
- Pupils on roll
- 108
- URN
- 151115
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01892520582
About this school
Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Tunbridge Wells. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 108 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
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Requires improvement
- Safeguarding
- Effective
This inspection took place when the school was registered as Rusthall St Paul's CofE VA Primary School (URN 135164).
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 20 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 65% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% |
| Expected standard in maths | 65% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 70% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 |
How Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School compares
Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School ranked 217th of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 53% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 33% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 65% | 6.4% | 45.1% | 108 | — |
| Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School | 67% | 4.8% | 17% | 194 | 0.7 miles |
| Langton Green Primary School | 88% | 4.3% | 5.4% | 422 | 1.0 miles |
| Speldhurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 81% | 4% | 6.1% | 212 | 1.1 miles |
| St Mark's Church of England Primary School | 68% | 4.7% | 21.5% | 333 | 1.2 miles |
| The Wells Free School | 68% | 4.3% | 18.9% | 213 | 1.4 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.
Inspection history
- 19 April 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report22 January 2020
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 45.05%
- English as an additional language
- 14.4%
- Overall absence
- 6.36%
- Persistent absence
- 22.86%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School0.7 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
Langton Green Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
Speldhurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
St Mark's Church of England Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
-
The Wells Free School1.4 miles
Primary · Tunbridge Wells
Other schools in Tunbridge Wells
Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School ranks 16th 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
- Skinners' Kent Primary School Primary
- Skinners' Temple Grove Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School teach?
- Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Tunbridge Wells.
- Who is the headteacher of Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School is Mrs Lyndsay Smurthwaite, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Rusthall St Paul's CofE 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 Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School?
- Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School has 108 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School full?
- Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School has capacity for 150 pupils and 108 on roll (72%), 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 Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Rochester.
- Does Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School?
- Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School is part of INSPIRE ACADEMY MOVEMENT TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How does Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School rank locally?
- Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School ranked 217th of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 53% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 33% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.4% in the latest published census.
- What are Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Rusthall St Paul's CofE 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.