School Chooser

Our Lady of Hartley Catholic Primary School, Hartley, Longfield

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademyRoman Catholic217 pupilsLongfieldKent
School Chooser Score
94
Well above
similar schools
Likely range 87 to 98
Out of 100. Better than 92% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedOutstandingLast Ofsted inspection, June 2024
Reached the expected level at 1175%England 63%
Attendance96.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families5%Far fewer than most schools
Places1 spare217 pupils, 218 places
Pupils per teacher25.8School workforce census

Our Lady of Hartley Catholic Primary School, Hartley, Longfield is a converter academy in Longfield for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 217 pupils and room for 218. About 5 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 94 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 92% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2024.

Stack Lane, Hartley, Longfield, DA3 8BL01474 706385ourladyhartley.kent.sch.ukMr James Baker headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 25 June 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Outstanding overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Outstanding
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Outstanding
Early years
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1175%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level19%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score108.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score106.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 88%88%20172018: 78%78%20182019: 94%94%20192023: 77%77%20232024: 69%69%20242025: 75%75%2025
Since 2017: -13%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017KentEngland
Pupils tested323231313232
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths75%69%77%94%78%88%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths19%16%16%16%22%13%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score108.0107.0108.0108.0108.0110.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score106.0104.0108.0108.0107.0109.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score107.0105.0109.0109.0111.0108.0104.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard78%72%94%97%84%91%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard78%72%81%94%84%97%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)75%81%87%97%88%91%
Reading progressReading progress score+1.7+1.3-0.5+2.3
Maths progressMaths progress score+2.7+0.7+0.0+1.8

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. Every gap at this school is 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 11Boys vs girls
75%75%
No gapEngland 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 Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Nearly full213 pupils for 218 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 roll217Census January 2026
Places218100% full
Pupils from low-income families5%5% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English3%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support12%25 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%7 pupils with a plan
Average class size31.65 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils80%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)5%£17,050 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls103 / 114
White British pupils71%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 30.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 32.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (12), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (8), Specific learning difficulty (4), Moderate learning difficulty (3), language and communications needs (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll217213214212216216
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals5%5%6%4%4%3%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language3%4%4%3%3%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support13%15%14%12%12%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%2%1%2%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school6.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.0%4.3%3.6%3.6%1.9%3.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.0%3.4%2.7%2.6%1.6%2.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.0%0.9%0.9%1.0%0.3%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence6.3%10.1%6.8%5.3%3.2%2.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.50.00.01.9
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers8.4full-time equivalent, 11 people
Pupils per teacher25.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants9.1full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,112
Teachers who left in the year11%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.92024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£5,216England £7,128. Total £1.1m
Income per pupil£6,732England £7,587. Total £1.4m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,413England £3,405
Money in reserve11%A healthy amount put by: £159k, £747 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£323kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£5,216spent 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 m5612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate45 per 1,000 people51% lower than the England average
Typical house price£480,000Sevenoaks
Nearest bus stop90 mChurch Road Shops, 11 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 HartleyAcademy550 m445Outstanding 202397Compare
Langafel Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolChurch of England0.7 miles286Requires improvement 20242Compare
New Ash Green Primary SchoolCouncil1.2 miles400Good 202216Compare
Fawkham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolChurch of England1.3 miles103Good 202377Compare
Istead Rise Primary SchoolAcademy2.1 miles211Good 202472Compare
Sedley's Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy2.2 miles98Good 202352Compare
Meopham Community AcademyAcademy2.3 miles459Good 202444Compare
Horton Kirby Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy2.8 miles212Good 202377Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Our Lady of Hartley Catholic Primary School, Hartley, Longfield with the 47 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 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats92%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the very top of its group. Its score of 94 is 18 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 35 · middle 77 · highest 100100

No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 94 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 94% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 87 to 98. 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%above
+0.19
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 32 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%well above
+0.43
Ofsted grade, 2.2 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.15
DfE progress measure; 32 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.05
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.09
2024/25; 192 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%above
+0.07
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 32 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 Our Lady of Hartley Catholic Primary School, Hartley, Longfield a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Our Lady of Hartley Catholic Primary School, Hartley, Longfield scores 94 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 92% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 87 to 98, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Our Lady of Hartley Catholic Primary School, Hartley, Longfield's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Our Lady of Hartley Catholic Primary School, Hartley, Longfield outstanding at its last full inspection on 25 June 2024.

How good are Our Lady of Hartley Catholic Primary School, Hartley, Longfield's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 75% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 19% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Our Lady of Hartley Catholic Primary School, Hartley, Longfield have?

217 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 218 places, so it is 100% full.

Is Our Lady of Hartley Catholic Primary School, Hartley, Longfield oversubscribed?

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

What is attendance like at Our Lady of Hartley Catholic Primary School, Hartley, Longfield?

Pupils were in school 96.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 6% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Our Lady of Hartley Catholic Primary School, Hartley, Longfield?

The average class had 31.6 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 80% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

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

Contact and details

Address
Stack Lane, Hartley, Longfield, DA3 8BL
Telephone
01474 706385
Website
www.ourladyhartley.kent.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr James Baker
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Archdiocese of Southwark
Multi-academy trust
Kent Catholic Schools' Partnership (33 schools)
Local authority
Kent
Ward
Hartley and Hodsoll Street
Constituency
Tonbridge
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 November 2014 (academy converter)
URN
141532 · LAESTAB 8865217 · UKPRN 10047893
Formerly
Our Lady of Hartley Catholic Primary School, Hartley, Longfield

Where these figures come from