Platt Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

About Platt Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Platt Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a smaller-than-average primary, with 164 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210. That leaves a fair amount of physical space, but the school is clearly in demand: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 45 applications for just 22 places, an oversubscription ratio of 2.05. Fifteen of those applications were first-preference offers, suggesting strong local appeal. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals sits at 11.6%, which is below the national average for primary schools, reflecting the relatively affluent Tonbridge and Malling area. As a Church of England school, it has a religious character, though the data doesn't specify how that shapes admissions criteria. Headteacher Emma Smith leads a mixed-gender, state-funded primary for children aged 4 to 11, with no nursery or sixth form provision. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in October 2024, judged that standards were maintained, building on its previous graded Good rating from 2015.

Academically, the picture is mixed. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 48% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well below the local authority average of 63%. That places Platt 39th out of 41 primary schools in Tonbridge and Malling, and in the bottom 50% nationally. Looking at individual subjects, reading and writing each saw 64% of pupils hit the expected standard, while maths was lower at 56%. Higher-standard attainment was limited: just 4% achieved the higher bar in reading, writing and maths combined, though 24% did so in reading alone. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it's hard to say whether pupils are making typical gains from their starting points. The school's Ofsted breakdown shows that early years provision, leadership and management, and overall effectiveness were all rated Good in the 2015 graded inspection, which remains the most recent full graded judgement.

Facilities include a gymnasium, outdoor playground, dining hall, music rooms and a chapel, and the school offers a range of sports such as cross country, athletics, rounders, swimming and gymnastics. Clubs include art, drama and eco club. For SEND, the school lists provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses, based on 61 respondents, show 75% would recommend the school. Strengths included children's happiness (95% agree or strongly agree) and a good range of subjects (83% agree or strongly agree). However, only 46% felt concerns were dealt with properly, and 38% disagreed that the school lets them know how their child is doing. This school will suit families who value its Church of England character, smaller size and strong local demand, but who are comfortable with below-average KS2 outcomes and some parental dissatisfaction with communication.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Platt Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Helpful Guides for Parents