About the School
Please read a Letter from the Chair of Governors and a Letter from the Diocese of Rochester.
Our inclusive, family-focussed primary school is located in the thriving town of Tunbridge Wells, in West Kent. As a single form entry school we draw from our local area and get to know each and every one of the 200 children and their families.
The close relationship we have with the Church is integral to the school and we hold daily worship as well as regular Masses. We were delighted with a recent SIAS (Statutory Inspection for Anglican Schools) report that stated "there is a thread of prayer that runs through the school, uniting pupils and staff". Our wide and varied curriculum reflects our Christian ethos and encourages the children to be inclusive and tolerant to the views of others.
Our highly motivated staff team has enabled us to adapt well to change and transition to a new senior leadership team over the last 6 months. We have a full complement of 14 Governors on the Board, with a wide range of skills, who are actively engaged in supporting the school.
Our growing school received a "Good" rating in our last Ofsted and we are keen to both recognise this success and determined to improve the overall quality of teaching to drive improvement in learning across the board.
We occupy a lovely Victorian building with high ceilings and large windows that is full of character. The school hall is in a separate modern building on the same site and our sports field is over the road. As part of an expansion project agreed by the Local Authority, we recently remodelled our first floor accommodation to create a new classroom and ICT facility; the second phase is being undertaken this summer and will modernise our office/ reception area and expand our toilet capacity.
We provide an After School Club, which is growing in popularity, and have ever strengthening links with the Barna-bus pre-school, which gives a great foundation in the EYFS allowing for smooth transitions across the key stages.
We have a long history of close collaboration and mutual support as a part of an active cluster of schools, who receive specific LA funding to pool staff training and improvement activities. There are also active local discussions around the formation of a Local Collaborative Trust, which, it is hoped, will involve a larger number of schools.
The school works really hard to develop links within the community, both through the “Friends of St Barnabas” fundraising group, and through local churches, businesses and community groups such as CREATE, the “Camden Road Education, Arts and Theatre Enterprise”. CREATE regularly support the school’s creative curriculum through their links with local artists and cultural activities.
For more information please read our School Prospectus.