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Bennett Memorial Diocesan School

AcademySecondarySixth Form

Bennett Memorial Diocesan School

Ages1118
1,892 pupils
Outstanding· Jan 2024
Get notified about changes
Get notified about changes

Details

Type

Academy Converter

Local Authority

Kent

Academy Trust

THE TENAX SCHOOLS TRUST

Head Teacher

Dr Karen Brookes

Gender

Mixed

Admissions

Non-selective

Religious Character

Church of England

Opened

April 2011

Website

www.bennettmemorial.co.uk

Reference Number

136603

Additional Provisions

Sixth Form

About This Data

  • School information is sourced from Get Information About Schools (GIAS), the official UK government register maintained by the Department for Education.

Admissions

How many families applied and received places

Year 7 entry for 2025/26

On Time Applications

Oversubscribed
Count
Total applications1,098
As 1st preference321
As 2nd preference265
As 3rd preference271
From another local authority82

Offers on National Offer Day

Count
Total offers293
To 1st preference261
To 2nd preference25
To 3rd preference6
To any preference293
To another local authority35

About This Data

  • Data sourced from the DfE "Primary and secondary school applications and offers" statistics.
  • Total applications includes all preferences (1st through 6th), not just those shown in the breakdown above.
  • Applications and offers from/to another local authority may also appear in preference rows (e.g., a 1st preference from another local authority counts in both rows).
  • "Oversubscribed" means the school received more 1st preference applications than places offered.
  • This school is a academy converter, admissions are controlled by the school itself, we advise you contact the school or check their website for further information. This school's local authority is Kent.

Pupils

Summary

Total Pupils1,892 (130% of capacity)
Age Range11 – 18
GenderMixed
Boys / Girls52% / 48%
Free School Meals8.3%
English as Additional Language11.5%
SEN Support8.7%
SEN with EHCP1.5%
Overall Attendance94.7%
Persistent Absence11.5%

Class Sizes

Overall Average24.3
Key Stage 10.0
Key Stage 20.0

Total Pupils

Cohort Sizes

Year 7305
Year 8302
Year 9299
Year 10300
Year 11296
Year 12203
Year 13187

Pupil Ethnicities

White British68.2%
White Other8.8%
Mixed Other5.9%
Unclassified3.5%
Chinese2.9%
African2.7%
White & Asian2.0%
Other1.5%
Indian1.4%
Bangladeshi1.2%
White & Black African0.6%
Pakistani0.3%
Black Other0.3%
Irish0.2%
White & Black Caribbean0.2%
Asian Other0.2%
Gypsy/Roma0.1%

About This Data

  • Data sourced from the National School Census for 2024/25, collected each January.
  • This is not live data. For current availability of places, contact the school or local authority directly.
  • Capacity refers to the maximum number of pupils a school can accommodate. Schools may operate above or below capacity, and spare places may only be available in certain year groups.
  • Persistent absence means a pupil missed 10% or more of their possible sessions during the academic year. Absence rates during 2020–2022 were significantly higher due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Inspections

Ofsted Inspections

3 inspections on record

Current Rating
Outstanding· Jan 2024
  • 2024

    School Inspection

    31 January 2024

    View report
    Outstanding

    Category Judgements

    CategoryJudgement
    Quality of educationOutstanding
    Behaviour and attitudesOutstanding
    Personal developmentOutstanding
    Leadership and managementOutstanding

    AI-Generated Insights

    SEND
    2
    • All pupils, including those with SEND, study a broad curriculum.
    • A small number of pupils receive tailored support for behaviour.
    Curriculum
    2
    • Staff deliver a sophisticated curriculum effectively.
    • Curriculum builds knowledge and skills over time.
    Leadership
    2
    • Leaders have accurate and critical strategic oversight.
    • Leaders support staff workload and foster pride in work.
    Pupil Progress
    2
    • All pupils achieve exceptionally well, including SEND students.
    • Teachers use strategies to help pupils know and remember more.
    Teaching Quality
    2
    • Teachers use systematic checks to modify explanations and planning.
    • Staff have systematic and high-quality professional development.
    Personal Development
    2
    • Personal development co-curriculum is superb and effective.
    • Guild system promotes resilience, persistence and responsibility.
    Behaviour & Attendance
    2
    • Pupils’ conduct is exemplary and disruptive behaviour is rare.
    • Rates of attendance are very strong and improving.

    Insights are generated by AI from the inspection report and may not be fully accurate.

  • 2012

    Full Inspection

    18 July 2012

    View report
    Outstanding
  • Academy Conversion

    18 February 2012

    View report

About This Data

  • Inspection data is sourced from Ofsted, the official schools inspectorate for England.
  • Ratings may have changed since the last inspection. Always check the latest report for current information.
  • Some inspections (monitoring visits, academy conversions) do not result in a graded judgement.

GCSE Results

ResultSchoolLAEngland
Attainment 8 score5646.346.9
Grade 5 or above in English and maths61.2%46.8%46.2%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths84.4%63.1%65.4%
Entering EBacc87.8%
EBacc average point score5.34.14.1
Progress 8
+0.73Above average

Pupils at this school made slightly more progress than similar pupils nationally

About This Data

  • Schools are ranked by their Attainment 8 score, which shows overall exam results. This data comes from the Department for Education performance tables.
  • Exam results and progress scores tell you different things. Imagine two children climbing a mountain: one starts at the bottom and climbs halfway up, while another starts a third of the way up and climbs another third. The second child climbed less distance but finished higher up. Exam results show where pupils finished (like height on the mountain), while progress scores show how far they've come since primary school (like distance climbed). Progress scores help you understand how much a school has helped pupils improve, regardless of where they started.

Destinations

Where students go after finishing their studies

Destinations after GCSEs

DestinationSchoolEngland
Staying in education95%86%
...Further education12%37%
...School sixth form34%
...Sixth form college13%
...Other education destinations0%2%
In employment2%3%
Apprenticeships0%3%
Not in education or employment6%
Destination unknown3%

About This Data

  • This shows where students went after completing their GCSEs, tracked for at least two terms into the following academic year.
  • A sustained destination means the student remained in education, employment, or training for at least two terms (October to March).
  • England averages are shown for comparison. Each school's results will vary based on their student intake and local area.

Workforce

Staff numbers and pupil-to-teacher ratios

Pupils per Teacher or Teaching Assistant

Shows how many children each teacher looks after on average. The lower line includes teaching assistants, giving you a better picture of the adult support available in classrooms.

Total Pupils

The number of children enrolled at this school over time. These figures come from financial records and may differ slightly from other pupil numbers on this site due to when data was collected.

Total Number of Teachers

The total teaching capacity at this school, including classroom teachers and senior staff who also teach. Part-time teachers are counted based on their working hours.

Teaching Assistants

Support staff who work directly with children in classrooms. This includes regular TAs, higher-level TAs with more responsibilities, and specialist support for children with additional needs.

Teachers with Qualified Teacher Status (%)

The percentage of teachers who have completed official teacher training in England. A higher percentage typically indicates a more experienced and formally trained teaching team.

Senior Leadership

The school's leadership team, including the headteacher, deputy heads and assistant heads. These staff manage the school and often still spend time in classrooms.

Non-classroom Support Staff and Auxiliary Staff

Office and admin staff who keep the school running smoothly, plus auxiliary staff like catering teams and site maintenance who look after the building and meals.

Total Headcount and Workforce

Two ways of counting staff: headcount shows total people employed (including part-timers), while workforce counts the equivalent number of full-time positions.

About This Data

  • Data sourced from the DfE School Workforce Census. Numbers may not match exactly other data shown on this site due to different collection timings within the academic year.
  • FTE = Full-time equivalent, representing the total working hours divided by standard full-time hours. Headcount = total number of individuals employed.
  • Senior leadership includes headteachers, deputy headteachers and assistant headteachers.
  • Teachers with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) have completed accredited initial teacher training in England.

Finances

2023/24

Income per Pupil (£)

In 2023/24 the revenue reserve was £1,459,008 or £768 p/pupil. Schools maintain reserves for unexpected costs, but these funds are ultimately meant to benefit pupils.

Expenditure per Pupil (£)

In 2023/24 the in-year balance was £357,899 or £188 p/pupil. A positive balance means the school had money left over, which goes into reserves for future use.

About This Data

  • Financial data comes from the DfE School Financial Benchmarking service. Schools report their income and spending each year.
  • Revenue reserve is the money a school has saved up over time. Schools keep reserves to cover unexpected costs, though funds are meant to benefit current pupils.
  • In-year balance shows whether a school spent more or less than it received in a single year. A positive balance means the school had money left over; a negative balance means it dipped into savings.

Contact Information

Address

Culverden Down
Tunbridge Wells
Kent
TN4 9SH

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