SCHOOL PROFILE

The Holmesdale School

Secondary Academy sponsor led URN 147897
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 959 Published school capacity
Capacity used 63.2% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

1 April 2025
Latest published outcome Not judged
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy sponsor led
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character —
Local authority Kent
Trust SWALE ACADEMIES TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 606 606 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 323 53.3% of pupils
Male pupils 283 46.7% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

35.5%
10.7 pts above England
School 35.5%
Tonbridge and Malling 17.7%
South East 19.0%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

4.0%
16.3 pts below England
School 4.0%
Tonbridge and Malling 8.2%
South East 15.6%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

5.4%
4.4 pts above England
School 5.4%
Tonbridge and Malling 2.8%
South East 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
89.1%
540
African
2.1%
13
Any other Mixed background
2.0%
12
Any other White background
1.8%
11
Indian
0.8%
5
White and Black Caribbean
0.8%
5
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 20.6% 125 of 606 pupils
0.2 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 20.6%
Tonbridge and Malling 18.6%
South East 21.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 19.5% 118 pupils
England 14.8% 4.7 pts above
EHC plans 1.2% 7 pupils
England 6.0% 4.9 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 42
Autistic spectrum disorder 32
No specialist assessment yet 22
Specific learning difficulty 14
Moderate learning difficulty 7
Hearing impairment 3

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

41.6 2.4 pts above England
School 41.6
Tonbridge and Malling 42.0
South East 38.5
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 35.0% England 36.0% 1.0 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 56.3% England 51.4% 4.9 pts above England
EBacc entry 10.0% England 30.6% 20.6 pts below England
EBacc average point score 3.39 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.52 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

9.01%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

2.79 pts higher than England
School 9.01%
Tonbridge and Malling 6.01%
South East 6.30%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

26.17%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

10.36 pts higher than England
School 26.17%
Tonbridge and Malling 15.90%
South East 15.75%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

4.53%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

2.73 pts higher than England
School 4.53%
Tonbridge and Malling 1.60%
South East 1.93%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

63.2% 29.1 pts below England
The Holmesdale School
63.2%
Tonbridge and Malling
96.8%
South East
95.0%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information