Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

About Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Penshurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a small state primary in the Kent district of Sevenoaks, serving just 86 pupils aged 4 to 11. Within the local authority, it sits at rank 129 out of 459 same-type schools, placing it comfortably in the top third. Its nearest outstanding-rated neighbour is Chiddingstone Church of England School, 2.8 kilometres away, while the top-performing peers in the area include Stelling Minnis Church of England Primary School, Leigh Academy Dartford, and Temple Ewell Church of England Primary School. The school has a Church of England religious character and is led by headteacher Susan Elliott. It is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, receiving 24 applications for just 5 places, with only 3 first-preference offers made — a ratio of 4.8 applicants per place. That level of demand suggests strong local reputation, even though the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2022 graded it as Good overall, a step down from its previous Outstanding rating in 2009.

Academically, Penshurst performs well above the Kent local authority average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 71% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the LA average of 63%. Reading and maths both saw 57% of pupils achieving the higher standard, and every single pupil met the expected standard in maths. Average scaled scores were 109 in both reading and maths, comfortably above the national benchmark of 100. Writing was a relative weak spot, with no pupils reaching the higher standard and 71% at expected. The school’s ranking score of 71 places it in the top 50 nationally by this metric, and 16th out of 38 primary schools in Sevenoaks specifically. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points, but the raw outcomes are solid.

The school offers a broad set of facilities including a Forest School, sensory room, chapel, library, sports hall, and playing fields. Sports provision covers rounders, netball, athletics and cross country, while clubs include drama, choir and film club. SEND support is well-documented, with provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, speech and language needs, multi-sensory impairment, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties. With a capacity of 105 and only 86 pupils on roll, there is some physical space, but the oversubscription data shows demand far outstrips supply. This is a school that will suit families seeking a small, church-affiliated primary with strong academic outcomes in a semi-rural Kent setting, but securing a place will require a first-preference application and likely a close proximity or church connection.

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