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Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School

LA MaintainedPrimaryNursery

Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School

Ages311
200 pupils
Requires Improvement· Dec 2023
Get notified about changes
Get notified about changes

Details

Type

Community School

Local Authority

Kent

Head Teacher

Mrs Laura Johnson

Gender

Mixed

Admissions

Non-selective

Religious Character

Does not apply

Website

www.bishops-down.kent.sch.uk

Reference Number

118468

Additional Provisions

Nursery Provision

Special Educational Needs Support

Physical Disability

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

Reception entry for 2025/26

On Time Applications

Count
Total applications46
As 1st preference12
As 2nd preference13
As 3rd preference21
From another local authority0

Offers on National Offer Day

Count
Total offers15
To 1st preference12
To 2nd preference2
To 3rd preference0
To any preference14
To another local authority0

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 community school, admissions are controlled by the local authority, we advise you contact the local authority or check their website for further information. This school's local authority is Kent.

Pupils

Summary

Total Pupils200 (95% of capacity)
Age Range3 – 11
GenderMixed
Boys / Girls55% / 45%
Free School Meals15.5%
English as Additional Language17.0%
SEN Support9.5%
SEN with EHCP5.0%
Overall Attendance95.0%
Persistent Absence10.9%

Class Sizes

Overall Average25.0
Key Stage 123.7
Key Stage 227.8

Total Pupils

Cohort Sizes

Nursery18
Reception26
Year 120
Year 225
Year 327
Year 426
Year 528
Year 630

Pupil Ethnicities

White British67.0%
White Other13.5%
White & Asian3.0%
Mixed Other3.0%
Indian3.0%
Other2.0%
Unclassified2.0%
Asian Other1.5%
African1.5%
White & Black Caribbean1.0%
White & Black African1.0%
Chinese1.0%
Caribbean0.5%

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

8 inspections on record

Current Rating
Requires Improvement· Dec 2023
  • 2023

    School Inspection

    12 December 2023

    View report
    Requires Improvement

    Category Judgements

    CategoryJudgement
    Quality of educationRequires Improvement
    Behaviour and attitudesGood
    Personal developmentGood
    Leadership and managementRequires Improvement
    Early years provisionRequires Improvement

    AI-Generated Insights

    SEND
    2
    • Pupils with SEND receive appropriate support.
    • Staff quickly identify pupils with SEND.
    Curriculum
    2
    • Curriculum improvements are in early stages.
    • Reading support needs better matching to phonic knowledge.
    Leadership
    2
    • Leadership has brought stability and support.
    • Governors support and challenge the school.
    Safeguarding
    2
    • Pupils feel safe and have positive relationships.
    • Pastoral support helps pupils manage feelings.
    Pupil Progress
    2
    • Pupils' progress is inconsistent across subjects.
    • Pupils have gaps in their knowledge and understanding.
    Teaching Quality
    2
    • Staff expertise is not consistently developed.
    • Checks on pupil understanding are not always used.
    Personal Development
    2
    • Pupils celebrate diversity and accept differences.
    • Pupils have opportunities to explore interests.
    Behaviour & Attendance
    11
    • Pupils behave well and show positive attitudes.
    • Some pupils have high absence rates.

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

  • 2022

    School Inspection

    3 October 2022

    View report
  • 2017

    Short Inspection

    17 March 2017

    View report
  • 2012

    Full Inspection

    23 April 2012

    View report
    Good
  • 2010

    Curriculum And Development Visit

    26 July 2010

    View report
  • 2009

    Full Inspection

    19 June 2009

    View report
    Good
  • 2006

    Full Inspection

    12 July 2006

    View report
    Good
  • 2000

    Full Inspection

    12 May 2000

    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.

Primary Results

Performance measures for pupils at the end of Year 6 (Key Stage 2)

Reading, writing and maths

SchoolLAEngland
Pupils meeting the expected standard60.0%60.8%61.0%
Pupils achieving at a higher standard3.0%8.1%8.0%

Average scaled score

SchoolLAEngland
Reading108105.3105
Maths105103.8104

Progress scores

Reading

+1.4Above average

95% confidence interval: -0.9 to 3.8

Progress in reading from KS1 to KS2

Writing

-0.4Below average

95% confidence interval: -2.6 to 1.8

Progress in writing from KS1 to KS2

Maths

-0.6Below average

95% confidence interval: -2.8 to 1.6

Progress in maths from KS1 to KS2

Grammar, punctuation and spelling

SchoolLAEngland
Pupils meeting the expected standard90.0%68.2%72.0%
Pupils achieving at a higher standard60.0%27.9%32.0%

About This Data

  • School rankings are calculated by sorting schools first by the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard, then by the percentage achieving a higher standard. Rankings help compare schools within England but do not account for school context or pupil intake.
  • Progress scores measure how much pupils improved from KS1 (Year 2) to KS2 (Year 6), compared to pupils nationally with similar starting points. A score of 0 means average progress; a positive score means above-average progress. Progress scores show the value a school adds, while exam results show final attainment. Some children start higher than others due to factors like natural ability or home circumstances.
  • Data sourced from the Department for Education Key Stage 2 performance tables for 2023/24. LA and England averages provide national and local context.

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

2024/25

Income per Pupil (£)

In 2024/25 the revenue reserve was £111,338 or £557 p/pupil. Schools maintain reserves for unexpected costs, but these funds are ultimately meant to benefit pupils.

Expenditure per Pupil (£)

In 2024/25 the in-year balance was £126,936 or £635 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

Rydal Drive
Tunbridge Wells
Kent
TN4 9SU

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