School Chooser

Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedChurch of England201 pupilsTunbridge WellsKent
School Chooser Score
42
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 21 to 67
Out of 100. Better than 8% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, March 2023
Reached the expected level at 1155%England 63%
Attendance95.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families7%Far fewer than most schools
Places9 spare201 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher18.4School workforce census

Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School is a Church of England school (voluntary controlled) in Tunbridge Wells for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 201 pupils and room for 210. About 7 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 42 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 8% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Pearse Place, Lamberhurst, Tunbridge Wells, TN3 8EJ01892 890281lamberhurst.kent.sch.ukMrs Charlotte Vickery-Booth headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 8 March 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

31 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1155%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level3%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score106.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 79%79%20172018: 86%86%20182019: 80%80%20192023: 73%73%20232024: 61%61%20242025: 55%55%2025
Since 2017: -24%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017KentEngland
Pupils tested313130302129
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths55%61%73%80%86%79%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths3%10%7%7%5%21%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score106.0106.0108.0107.0107.0108.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0104.0106.0106.0106.0106.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score103.0105.0106.0105.0104.0106.0104.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard71%77%87%90%90%86%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard84%71%80%83%95%90%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)81%84%83%90%86%86%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.4+0.3+0.9+3.0
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.1-0.8+1.2+1.2
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged43%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged58%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 3 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
43%58%
Gap 15 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
50%59%
Gap 9 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%3%
Gap 3 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Nearly full205 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
98% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Kent council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll201Census January 2026
Places21096% full
Pupils from low-income families7%7% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English6%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support10%21 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%1 pupil with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)7%£20,150 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls91 / 110
White British pupils82%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (5), emotional and mental health (5), Specific learning difficulty (5), language and communications needs (4), Moderate learning difficulty (2), Other difficulty or disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll201207209206201199
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals7%10%9%9%10%7%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language6%7%8%9%5%5%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support11%16%14%13%13%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%1%1%1%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school8.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.7%5.0%5.5%6.5%2.0%3.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.8%4.3%5.0%6.2%1.6%3.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.9%0.7%0.6%0.4%0.4%0.3%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence8.8%10.0%13.3%17.8%1.1%9.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.01.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers11.0full-time equivalent, 14 people
Pupils per teacher18.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers79%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants6.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£45,653
Teachers who left in the year9%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher9.42024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,348England £7,738. Total £1.3m
Income per pupil£6,055England £7,697. Total £1.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,506England £3,480
Money in reserve6%Not much put by: £75k, £361 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£61kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£6,348spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m2412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate36 per 1,000 people60% lower than the England average
Typical house price£435,000Tunbridge Wells
Nearest bus stop120 mHigh Street, 4 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Leigh Academy HorsmondenAcademy3.4 miles195Good 202373Compare
Wadhurst CofE Primary School and NurseryChurch of England3.4 miles269Good 202457Compare
Goudhurst and Kilndown Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England3.5 miles216No overall grade 202598Compare
Brenchley and Matfield Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy3.7 miles209Good 202474Compare
Ticehurst and Flimwell Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England3.7 miles103Not inspected5Compare
Pembury SchoolCouncil4.6 miles400Not inspected72Compare
Stonegate Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England4.7 miles116Good 202333Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School with the 48 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats8%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 42 is 33 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 15 · middle 76 · highest 99100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 48 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Stocks Green Primary SchoolCouncil9.9 miles217Good 202461Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 42 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 42% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 21 to 67. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
+0.07
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 31 pupils
Ofsted inspection19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.04
DfE progress measure; 31 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.13
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.06
2024/25; 182 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.05
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 31 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School a good school?

It is about average. Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School scores 42 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 8% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 21 to 67, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School good at its last full inspection on 8 March 2023.

How good are Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 55% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 3% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School have?

201 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 96% full.

Is Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 9% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Pearse Place, Lamberhurst, Tunbridge Wells, TN3 8EJ
Telephone
01892 890281
Website
www.lamberhurst.kent.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Charlotte Vickery-Booth
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary controlled) (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Rochester
Local authority
Kent
Ward
Rural Tunbridge Wells
Constituency
Tunbridge Wells
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
118604 · LAESTAB 8863034 · UKPRN 10069123

Where these figures come from