Find the best primary schools in Tonbridge and Malling. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Tonbridge and Malling has 45 primary schools, all in Kent council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 45, 16 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Tonbridge and Malling primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Mereworth Community Primary School | Mixed | 4.8 / 5 |
| Valley Invicta Primary School At Kings Hill | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| The Discovery School | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Sussex Road Community Primary School | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| Shipbourne School | Mixed | 4.5 / 5 |
| Valley Invicta Primary School At Leybourne Chase | Mixed | 4.5 / 5 |
| Kings Hill School Primary and Nursery | Mixed | 4.5 / 5 |
| Ryarsh Primary School |
There are 45 primary schools in Tonbridge and Malling.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. If you live in Tonbridge and Malling, that council is Kent. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 45 primary schools in Tonbridge and Malling, 16 have a religious character: 14 Church of England and 2 Roman Catholic. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Mereworth Community Primary School (4.8), Valley Invicta Primary School At Kings Hill (4.7), The Discovery School (4.7), Sussex Road Community Primary School (4.6) and Shipbourne School (4.5). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. All 45 schools here have a rating.
| Mixed |
| 4.4 / 5 |
| Brookfield Infant School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Plaxtol Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 4.3 / 5 |
| Valley Invicta Primary School At Aylesford | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Valley Invicta Primary School at Holborough Lakes | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Hildenborough Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| More Park Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 4.1 / 5 |
| Ightham Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Ditton Infant School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Woodlands Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Lift St James the Great | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| St Peter's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Slade Primary School and Attached Unit for Children with Hearing Impairment | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Offham Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Brookfield Junior School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Cage Green Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Burham Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| Royal Rise Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Wateringbury Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| East Peckham Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Stocks Green Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| West Malling Church of England Primary School and McGinty Speech and Language Srp | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| Tunbury Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Leybourne, St Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary Academy | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| Bishop Chavasse Primary School | Church of England | 3.5 / 5 |
| St Katherine's School & Nursery | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Snodland CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.4 / 5 |
| Long Mead Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Wouldham, All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Church of England | 3.3 / 5 |
| Borough Green Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| St George's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Church of England | 3.2 / 5 |
| Trottiscliffe Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.1 / 5 |
| Hadlow Primary School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Platt Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | Church of England | 2.8 / 5 |
| St Mark's Church of England Primary School, Eccles | Church of England | 2.8 / 5 |
| Lunsford Primary School | Mixed | 2.7 / 5 |
| Ditton Church of England Junior School | Church of England | 1.9 / 5 |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.