Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #48 in Kent public Top 29% UK

St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr John Tutt

location_onTunbridge Wells, TN2 3PR

language Visit Website phone 1892523006

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2024

groups

Students

631

school

Expected Standard

72%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

1.0x

summarize

St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a Voluntary aided school primary school in Tunbridge Wells, serving ages 4-11. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.0×) — apply through your local authority on time. Ranks in the top 29% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a voluntary aided school in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, admitting pupils aged 4-11. The school has approximately 632 pupils on roll, of whom 10% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 72% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 10% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #48 of 424 primaries in Kent and #1,974 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2024. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.0× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 22.3:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.2 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

72%

LA 61%

Reading88% LA 74%

Writing80% LA 72%

Maths84% LA 70%

Read SS

109

Maths SS

106

GPS SS

106

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

72%

LA 60%England 61%

Reading90% LA 75% · Eng 74%

Writing90% LA 73% · Eng 72%

Maths82% LA 69% · Eng 73%

Read SS

109

Maths SS

106

GPS SS

106

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

75%

LA 58%England 60%

Reading89% LA 72% · Eng 73%

Writing83% LA 72% · Eng 71%

Maths79% LA 69% · Eng 73%

Read SS

109

Maths SS

106

GPS SS

107

Progress (0 = national avg)

3.0

Read

LA -0.4

1.7 to 4.3

0.4

Write

LA -0.2

-0.8 to 1.7

0.4

Maths

LA -1.2

-0.8 to 1.6

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

LA 67%England 65%

Reading-% LA 75% · Eng 73%

Writing-% LA 81% · Eng 78%

Maths-% LA 77% · Eng 79%

Read SS

Maths SS

GPS SS

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

LA 0.0

Write

LA 0.1

Maths

LA -0.6

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

05 March 2024

Inspection Report

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07 January 2011

Inspection Report

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27 March 2008

Inspection Report

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17 May 2004

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2024-03-05

S5 Inspection EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2008-03-27

Section 5 RTI Historic EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.0%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.0%(0 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 632 pupils. During this period, there were 0 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.0%, which is below the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	632	0	0.0%	0.8%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	634	2	0.3%	0.9%
2023/24 (Summer term)	631	0	0.0%	0.8%
2023/24 (Spring term)	629	1	0.2%	0.7%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	629	0	0.0%	0.8%
2022/23 (Summer term)	633	0	0.0%	0.7%
2022/23 (Spring term)	631	0	0.0%	0.6%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	631	1	0.2%	0.6%
2021/22 (Summer term)	631	0	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Spring term)	630	0	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	629	1	0.2%	0.5%
2020/21 (Summer term)	631	0	0.0%	0.4%
2020/21 (Spring term)	628	0	0.0%	0.1%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	628	1	0.2%	0.4%
2019/20 (Summer term)	627	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	627	0	0.0%	0.4%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	628	1	0.2%	0.6%
2018/19 (Summer term)	269	0	0.0%	0.4%
2018/19 (Spring term)	270	0	0.0%	0.5%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	269	0	0.0%	0.5%
2017/18 (Summer term)	270	0	0.0%	0.5%
2017/18 (Spring term)	270	0	0.0%	0.4%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	270	0	0.0%	0.5%
2016/17 (Summer term)	270	0	0.0%	0.4%
2016/17 (Spring term)	270	0	0.0%	0.4%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	269	0	0.0%	0.5%

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 25 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 20 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 13 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 8 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 3 pupils

Physical Disability 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

99.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

100.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

12.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree75%

agree24%

disagree1%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree79%

agree19%

disagree2%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree48%

agree13%

disagree4%

don't know2%

not applicable33%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes10%

no90%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree69%

agree15%

disagree8%

strongly disagree4%

dont know4%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree53%

agree38%

disagree4%

don't know5%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree74%

agree24%

disagree2%

don't know1%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree61%

agree36%

disagree3%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree68%

agree30%

don't know2%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree61%

agree32%

disagree2%

strongly disagree2%

don't know3%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree65%

agree30%

disagree2%

don't know3%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes98%

no2%

Top Primary Schools in Kent

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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Good

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Outstanding

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Good

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Good

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Outstanding

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School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Faith Priority (Church of England)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in Kent

Westgate Primary School

Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard

Kingsdown and Ringwould Church of England Primary School

Thornden Wood Primary School

Leigh Academy Paddock Wood

The Discovery School