Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School

Tunbridge Wells · TN4 9SU

General information Primary School · 3-11 years Who goes here 194 pupils, 19.6% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted report card

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 10.3% on SEN support Behaviour 4.8% absence rate Staff 43.2% turnover Financials £7,792 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School

General Information

Address: Rydal Drive, Tunbridge Wells, TN4 9SU – View on map
Phone: 01892520114
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Laura Johnson
Age range: 3-11 years
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

194 pupils out of 210 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 38
% eligible for free school meals: 19.6%
Pupil mix: 6 in 10 (more mixed than the Tunbridge Wells average)
English as an additional language: 18% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 43.2% a year (Tunbridge Wells 15.3%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 35% moved to another school, 65% 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. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.

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: 21 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
Suspensions for bullying: 32 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 1 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary 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: 4.8%
Persistently absent pupils: 8.5%
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

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: 10.3%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 4.6%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Specific learning difficulty: 7 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 4 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 4 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils
Physical disability: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Physical disability: 4 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 2 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 2 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 1 pupil

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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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Ofsted report card March 2026

Ofsted's new report cards grade each part of school life separately, instead of giving one overall word.

Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Strong standard
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour Strong standard
Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard
Early years Expected standard
Leadership and governance Expected standard

Before this, under the old system, Ofsted rated the school Requires improvement (2023). The report card above replaces that grade.

How Ofsted report cards work

Since November 2025, Ofsted grades each area of a school on its own five-point scale, and no longer gives a single word like “Good” or “Outstanding”. Safeguarding (keeping children safe) is simply met or not met.

Exceptional The very best practice nationally
Strong standard Above what Ofsted expects
Expected standard What Ofsted expects of every school
Needs attention Some weaknesses the school needs to fix
Urgent improvement Serious weaknesses needing urgent action

“Expected standard” is a sound result – it's what Ofsted expects a good school to do. Report cards aren't directly comparable with the old single grades, which is why we don't turn them into one.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 67% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 0% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 3 percentage points below the Tunbridge Wells average (70%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 63% against an expected 67%)
3-year average (expected standard): 63%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 87% · Writing 70% · Maths 73% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 83%
Average test scores: reading 109, maths 106
Based on: 30 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

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

SATs results over time

This schoolTunbridge Wells averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 3 percentage points below the Tunbridge Wells average (70%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 18th of 31 junior and primary schools in the area

=16Sandhurst Primary School68%
=16The Wells Free School68%
=18Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School67%
=18Brenchley and Matfield Church of England Primary School67%
=18Hawkhurst Church of England Primary School67%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Langton Green Primary School88%
#2Leigh Academy Paddock Wood86%
#3Benenden Church of England Primary School82%
#4Speldhurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School81%
=5Claremont Primary School80%
=5Goudhurst and Kilndown Church of England Primary School80%
#7Bidborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School79%
#8Broadwater Down Primary School77%
#9Colliers Green Church of England Primary School75%
=10Frittenden Church of England Primary School73%
=10Southborough CofE Primary School73%
#12St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School72%
=13Leigh Academy Horsmonden70%
=13St John's Church of England Primary School70%
=13St Peter's Church of England Primary School70%
=16Sandhurst Primary School68%
=16The Wells Free School68%
=18Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School67%
=18Brenchley and Matfield Church of England Primary School67%
=18Hawkhurst Church of England Primary School67%
=18Pembury School67%
=18St Barnabas CofE VA Primary School67%
#23Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School65%
#24Sissinghurst Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School64%
=25Skinners' Kent Primary School59%
=25St Matthew's High Brooms Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School59%
#27St Augustine's Catholic Primary School56%
#28Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School55%
#29Cranbrook Church of England Primary School53%
#30Skinners' Temple Grove39%
#31Capel Primary School38%

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,792 (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.

5th of 31 primary schools in Tunbridge Wells for spending per pupil

#3Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School£8,604
#4Frittenden Church of England Primary School£8,471
#5Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School£7,792
#6St Matthew's High Brooms Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School£7,509
#7Colliers Green Church of England Primary School£7,209

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

#1Broadwater Down Primary School£10,019
#2Skinners' Temple Grove£8,620
#3Rusthall St Paul's CofE Primary School£8,604
#4Frittenden Church of England Primary School£8,471
#5Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School£7,792
#6St Matthew's High Brooms Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School£7,509
#7Colliers Green Church of England Primary School£7,209
#8Cranbrook Church of England Primary School£7,158
#9Goudhurst and Kilndown Church of England Primary School£6,993
#10Hawkhurst Church of England Primary School£6,879
#11Sissinghurst Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School£6,851
#12St Barnabas CofE VA Primary School£6,845
#13The Wells Free School£6,750
#14Sandhurst Primary School£6,699
#15Skinners' Kent Primary School£6,552
#16Capel Primary School£6,543
#17St Peter's Church of England Primary School£6,414
#18Benenden Church of England Primary School£6,413
#19Bidborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School£6,407
#20Brenchley and Matfield Church of England Primary School£6,348
#21Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School£6,348
#22Langton Green Primary School£6,160
#23Southborough CofE Primary School£5,977
#24St John's Church of England Primary School£5,877
#25St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School£5,864
#26Claremont Primary School£5,850
#27Speldhurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School£5,814
#28Leigh Academy Horsmonden£5,805
#29St Augustine's Catholic Primary School£5,697
#30Pembury School£5,644
#31Leigh Academy Paddock Wood£5,161

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

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