Pembury School, Tunbridge Wells
Pembury School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Tunbridge Wells. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 6th-highest of the 23 schools in Tunbridge Wells with published results, and 3,012th of 14,452 across England. It was 97% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Kent (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Pembury School in detail
Pembury School in its own words
In its own words: "Pembury School dates back to the mid 1800s (and possibly earlier), and is situated in the village of Pembury, near Royal Tunbridge Wells. Our school comprises a variety of buildings dating from different periods in the history of the school, including Victorian and 21st Century constructions."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, cricket, swimming, running, karate, dance, drama, guitar, recorder and cooking.
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care, from £7.50 per session.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 90% of Year 6 pupils at Pembury School reached the expected standard in reading and 82% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Kent and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 77% in reading and 77% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Pembury School
For September 2026 entry, 56 families put Pembury School as their first choice and 99 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Pembury School are Skinners' Kent Primary School (1.5 miles, Good, 83% reading, 70% maths); Skinners' Temple Grove (1.9 miles, Good, 55% reading, 48% maths); Capel Primary School (2.2 miles, Good, 66% reading, 48% maths); and St Matthew's High Brooms Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (2.4 miles, Requires improvement, 71% reading, 63% maths).
Pembury School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Skinners' Kent Primary SchoolSkinners' Temple GroveCapel Primary SchoolSt Matthew's High Brooms Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
What parents say
107 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Pembury School (as of September 2025): 90% would recommend the school, 94% say their child is happy there and 47% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (94%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (47%).
Who goes there
13.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (82%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 24 pupils (6%) received SEN support and 8 (2%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is High Brooms Rail Station, about 2.2 miles away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Pembury Library (opposite), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 33 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and burglary. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Kent (101).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Pembury School issued 8 suspensions, 2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from February 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
With its high expectations, this school gets pupils happily involved and immersed in school life, inside and outside of the classroom. Pupils develop a keen interest, curiosity and enjoyment in their learning. Adults help them to tackle often-demanding tasks successfully. Pupils' positive achievement stretches beyond academic subjects. The school also supports pupils to become proactive citizens in the school community. It inspires them to reflect carefully about their responsibilities in the wider world.
The school takes developing pupils' leadership skills very seriously. Pupils are given a strong say in many things that affect them. It is pupils themselves who often recruit and train the next generation to responsible positions, such as 'anti-bullying ambassador'. Through this approach, the school aims to equip pupils with the confidence and understanding to continue making a difference in the future.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school knows itself and its many strengths well. It has responded robustly to the previously identified areas for improvement. The school is also realistic and determined about systematically tackling areas where there is still more to do. The school is rightly uncompromising in wanting the very best for pupils. Securing further improvement alongside a reasonable staff workload is rightly an ongoing focus.
Pupils achieve well. They enthusiastically recall their learning across subjects. Pupils love their 'class projects', which are deliberately designed to help them make links in their learning. Pupils take care to use correct subject-specific vocabulary, rising to the school's high expectations. For example, in mathematics, pupils are equipped with the technical vocabulary to explain their thinking. The mathematics curriculum provides an effective balance of different opportunities that secures pupils' strong progress. This includes enough practice for pupils to become fluent in their calculations. Pupils are also frequently required to use their mathematical understanding to tackle work where the answer, or how to get it, is not immediately obvious.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2015 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
13.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
107 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 77% to 90% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 77% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 72% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.6
Avg class size
28.3
Infant (KS1)
28.8
KS2
14
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Pembury School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Pembury School.
- DDivine Training at Pembury Primary SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Pembury School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Pembury School is in Kent; for families living there:
Apply to Kent for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Kent is 11 (the median across 711 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Pembury School
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Your home postcode, set against Pembury School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Pembury School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Pembury School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Kent, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Pembury School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Kent got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
97%
Near capacity
406 pupils
420 places
14 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Tunbridge Wells
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Tunbridge Wells
Across Kent council
Places available
18,893
Applications
16,593
Got 1st preference
89.7%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Kent council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
24
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
8.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
400
Total Pupils
199
Boys
201
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
20.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,167
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,034
Per pupil
£2217k
Total funding
£68k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.3%
Overall absence
5.5%
Persistent absence
361
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Pembury School
Questions parents ask about Pembury School
What are SATs results like at Pembury School?
Of the pupils at Pembury School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 90% reached the expected standard in reading and 82% did so in maths.
What is Pembury School's Ofsted rating?
Pembury School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Pembury School?
No fixed boundary. When Pembury School is oversubscribed, Kent allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Pembury School?
Pembury School was close to full in 2025, at 97% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Pembury School?
Classes at Pembury School average 28.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Pembury School?
Pembury School has around 400 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Pembury School?
4.3% of sessions were missed at Pembury School in 2024/25. 5.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Pembury School?
Apply through Kent's coordinated admissions process, naming Pembury School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Pembury School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: DDivine Training at Pembury Primary School (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Pembury School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Kent is 11 (the median across 711 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Pembury School?
Pembury School is at Lower Green Road, Pembury, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 4EB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)