Fordcombe Church of England Primary School

About Fordcombe Church of England Primary School

Fordcombe Church of England Primary School is a small state primary in Kent, serving just 62 pupils aged 4 to 11 in the Sevenoaks area. It ranks 37th out of 38 primary schools in the Sevenoaks local authority district, placing it in the bottom half of its immediate peers. Across the wider Kent local authority, it sits at 404th out of 459 same-type schools. The top-performing nearby schools in the same LA include Stelling Minnis Church of England Primary School, Leigh Academy Dartford, and Temple Ewell Church of England Primary School. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Speldhurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, just 2.9 kilometres away. Fordcombe itself holds a Good rating from its most recent graded inspection in 2016, confirmed by an ungraded inspection in 2022, a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2013.

Academically, Fordcombe’s Key Stage 2 results for 2023/24 show that 33% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, well below the Kent local authority average of 63%. In reading, 67% reached the expected standard and 20% achieved a higher standard; in writing, 67% met expectations and 27% reached the higher standard; in maths, 33% met the expected standard and 13% achieved the higher standard. The average scaled scores were 105 in reading and 102 in maths. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom 5% of all primary schools on the combined expected standard metric, and in the bottom 3% within the South East region. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to assess how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 29 applications for just 8 places and 7 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.63. Facilities include a library, art studios, playing fields, a forest school, a gymnasium, an ICT suite, a sports hall, and a chapel. Sports offered include swimming, tennis, netball, gymnastics, athletics, cricket, and cross country, with clubs such as Eco Club, Art Club, and Chess. SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, hearing impairment, and physical disability. With a Church of England character, a headteacher in Julie Burton, and a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 33.9%, this is a small, community-focused school that may suit families prioritising a close-knit setting and a broad range of on-site facilities over top-tier academic outcomes.

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