Bidborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Spring Lane, Tunbridge Wells, TN3 0UE
200 pupils · 95% of 210 capacity
- Phase
- Primary
- Type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Local authority
- Kent
- Free school meals
- 5.5%
Ofsted
Good (2022) — Ungraded inspection — “School remains Good” (previous grade confirmed, not re-graded)
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 10 November 2022, published 12 January 2023. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths | 79% |
| Reaching the higher standard | 3% |
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Usually has places available — 0.73 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 30 | 22 | 95 | 30 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 30 | 29 | 93 | 30 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 25 | 22 | 94 | 25 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 29 | 30 | 87 | 29 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 30 | 40 | 97 | 30 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 30 | 31 | 93 | 30 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 30 | 21 | 80 | 30 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 30 | 29 | 73 | 30 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Southborough CofE Primary School 1.6 km · Good — confirmed 2024 · previous system
- Speldhurst Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School 2.2 km · No overall grade (2025)
- St Augustine's Catholic Primary School 2.7 km · Most areas: Expected standard (2026)
- St Matthew's High Brooms Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School 2.7 km · Requires improvement (2024) · previous system
- St John's Church of England Primary School 2.8 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- Bishops Down Primary and Nursery School 3 km · Most areas: Expected standard (2026)
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.