Schools by area › Kent › St Matthew's High Brooms Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
St Matthew's High Brooms Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Primary · Mixed · Ages 4–11 · Voluntary controlled
Powder Mill Lane, High Brooms, Tunbridge Wells TN4 9DY · st-matthews-school.org · 01892 528098
Overview
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement
- 2019 framework · inspected Mar 2024
- Key stage 2, 2024/25
- 59%
- reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. Kent 62%, England 62%
- Demand for places
- 0.9
- first choices for each place · Reception, September 2026
- Pupils
- 293
- 70% of 420 places
- Local authority
- Kent
- Nursery class
- No
- Free school meals
- 53.9%
- First language not English
- 19.8%
- School census 2025/26
The official school record (Department for Education)
Admissions
For Reception in September 2026, 19 families put the school first and 22 places were offered; 100% of those families were offered a place there. Admission depends on the school’s own rules.
First choices against places
| Reception | Places | First choices | Per place | % offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026Sept 2026 | 22 | 19 | 0.9 | 100% |
| September 2025Sept 2025 | 23 | 18 | 0.8 | 100% |
| September 2024Sept 2024 | 45 | 31 | 0.7 | 100% |
| September 2023Sept 2023 | 46 | 41 | 0.9 | 100% |
| September 2022Sept 2022 | 38 | 28 | 0.7 | 100% |
Results
In 2024/25, 59% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of key stage 2, and 8% the higher standard. Across Kent it was 62%, and across England 62%.
Expected standard reading, writing and maths
| 2024/25 | Trend | School | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading, writing and maths | |||
| ▼59% | 62% | ||
| ●8% | 8% | ||
| Average scaled score | |||
| ●106 | 106 | ||
| ●103 | 105 | ||
| ●105 | 105 | ||
Ofsted
St Matthew's High Brooms Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School was judged Requires improvement at its last graded inspection, on 26 March 2024, under Ofsted’s 2019 framework.
- Overall
- Requires improvement
- Inspected
- 26 Mar 2024
- Graded inspection
Safeguarding effectiveInspection reports
Graded areas
| Quality of education | Requires improvement |
|---|---|
| Behaviour and attitudes | Good |
| Personal development | Good |
| Leadership and management | Requires improvement |
| Early years | Good |
Previously: Good, graded inspection, Jul 2014
Earlier inspections
Before September 2019
Jul 2014Good
Outcomes for pupils Good Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good Leadership and management Good Jun 2013Inadequate
Outcomes for pupils Inadequate Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate Leadership and management Inadequate
What parents said
67% of the parents who answered Ofsted’s Parent View survey would recommend the school (45 replies, to 6 January 2025).
- Recommend
- 67%
- Replies
- 45
- 13% · 6 Jan 2025
based on the 84% who raised concerns
based on the 40% who had a child bullied
based on 11 parents (24%) with SEND