Bennett Memorial Diocesan School

Tunbridge Wells · TN4 9SH

General information Secondary School · 11-18 years Who goes here 1913 pupils, 10.5% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted: Outstanding

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 10.5% on SEN support Behaviour 5.1% absence rate Staff 11.1% turnover Financials £7,063 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Bennett Memorial Diocesan School

General Information

Address: Culverden Down, Tunbridge Wells, TN4 9SH – View on map
Phone: 01892521595
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Dr Karen Brookes
Age range: 11-18 years
Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 384 families put it first for 293 places – 13 for every 10 places. 70% of them were offered a place. 36 of the 293 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 12 · 2024 10 · 2025 11 · 2026 13
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

1913 pupils out of 1452 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 157
% eligible for free school meals: 10.5%
Pupil mix: 5 in 10 (more mixed than the Tunbridge Wells average)
English as an additional language: 12% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 11.1% a year (Tunbridge Wells 14.8%, typical in England 15.5%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 33% moved to another school, 67% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Kent: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 155 (1.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 189 (1.6 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 83 (0.7 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in Kent (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 5.1%
Persistently absent pupils: 12.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 10.5%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 1.6%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Specific learning difficulty: 90 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 36 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 29 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 21 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 10 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 12 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 7 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 2 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 2 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Outstanding 2023 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Attainment 8 score: 54.0
Compared with the area: 1.4 points below the Tunbridge Wells average (55.4)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Above (+2.7 points against an expected 51.3)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 85% (Tunbridge Wells 79%, England 65%) Broadly steady
Data year: 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

GCSE results over time

This schoolTunbridge Wells averageEngland↘ Falling Down 4.2 points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 1.4 points below the Tunbridge Wells average (55.4).

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

5th of 8 secondary schools in Tunbridge Wells for Attainment 8

#3Cranbrook School66.9
#4Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys63.7
#5Bennett Memorial Diocesan School54.0
#6St Gregory's Catholic School43.8
#7Leigh Academy Mascalls40.4

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School73.4
#2The Skinners' School70.8
#3Cranbrook School66.9
#4Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys63.7
#5Bennett Memorial Diocesan School54.0
#6St Gregory's Catholic School43.8
#7Leigh Academy Mascalls40.4
#8Skinners' Kent Academy38.4

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 97.0%
Went into further education: 95.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

Maths (General)
English Language
Religious Studies
English Literature
Chemistry (General)
Physics (General)
Biology
Geography
French Language
German
History
Computer Science
Art & Design
D & T
Sports Studies
Photography
Media Studies
Science Double Award
Food Technology
Latin
Speech & Drama
Music Studies (General)
Chinese
Russian
Polish
Spanish
Turkish
Arabic
Portuguese
Italian

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

View full Ofsted inspection report

1st of 3 secondary schools in Tunbridge Wells for Ofsted rating

#1Bennett Memorial Diocesan SchoolOutstanding
#2Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar SchoolOutstanding
#3Skinners' Kent AcademyGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Bennett Memorial Diocesan SchoolOutstanding
#2Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar SchoolOutstanding
#3Skinners' Kent AcademyGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,063 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

4th of 8 secondary schools in Tunbridge Wells for spending per pupil

#2Skinners' Kent Academy£8,087
#3St Gregory's Catholic School£7,445
#4Bennett Memorial Diocesan School£7,063
#5The Skinners' School£6,947
#6Leigh Academy Mascalls£6,642

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Cranbrook School£11,863
#2Skinners' Kent Academy£8,087
#3St Gregory's Catholic School£7,445
#4Bennett Memorial Diocesan School£7,063
#5The Skinners' School£6,947
#6Leigh Academy Mascalls£6,642
#7Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys£6,520
#8Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School£6,400

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Behaviour

Across Kent: suspensions by reason

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered