Valence School
Special / other · Westerham · TN16 1QN
Data updated
Graded inspection under the pre-November 2025 system
This is an overall-effectiveness grade from the previous inspection framework. The school has not yet had a report-card inspection.
Inspected 3 December 2019
Read the Ofsted report ↗At a glance
129 pupils · 98% of 131 capacity (January 2026 census)
- School type
- Foundation special school
- Age range
- 4–19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Free school meals
- 32% of pupils (January 2026)
- English as additional language
- 6.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
- SEN support
- 0% of pupils (2024/2025)
- EHC plan
- 100% of pupils (2024/2025)
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Website
- www.valenceschool.com
- URN
- 119032
In figures
Ofsted last graded it Good on 3 December 2019, under the framework used before November 2025. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 15.7% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.
Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)
6 pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2024/2025
No pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (0%). Key stage 2 tests measure the age-11 curriculum; most pupils at special schools are assessed under other frameworks, so 97% of special schools publish 0% here.
GCSE results (2024/2025)
9 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025
Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.
Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means National averages are not shown here. The England figures are dominated by mainstream schools, and pupils at a special school are working towards outcomes those measures were not designed to capture, so the comparison would mislead more than it tells you.
Special educational needs
Needs this school records that it caters for, in the order it lists them.
- Other Difficulty/Disability
- Physical Disability
Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)
White British 71% (Kent 80%, England 66%) · Not recorded 5% (Kent 2%, England 2%) · Any other White background 5% (Kent 4%, England 4%) · Asian Pakistani 3% (Kent 0%, England 4%) · Any other Asian background 2% (Kent 1%, England 2%) · Black African 2% (Kent 2%, England 5%) · Any other ethnic group 2% (Kent 1%, England 2%) · Asian Indian 2% (Kent 1%, England 2%) · Any other Black background 2% (Kent 0%, England 1%) · Black Caribbean 2% (Kent 0%, England 1%) · Mixed White and Asian 2% (Kent 1%, England 1%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 2% (Kent 2%, England 2%) · Any other Mixed background 1% (Kent 2%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Black African 1% (Kent 1%, England 1%) · White Gypsy/Roma 1% (Kent 1%, England 0%)
Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures
Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)
Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)
0.76 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, special schools: 12.32 suspensions and 0.08 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Kent: 18.25 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils
Suspensions and exclusions, last three years Premium
Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.
Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions
Staffing
Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.
Teacher retention (2024/25)
78% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 5% moved to another state school · 17% left the state-funded sector
Vacancies (November 2025)
0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, special schools and PRUs: 0.68% vacant, 1.02% temporary
Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)
63.6% of teachers took sickness absence, 6.3 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days
Teacher pay (November 2025)
Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £53,670; 26.9% on the leadership pay range · England, special schools and PRUs: £53,604, 18.3%
Vacancies, sickness and pay, last three years Premium
Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.
Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted
Where pupils go after GCSEs
Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.
Inspection history since 2015
- 3 December 2019: Good
- 7 February 2019: Taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement
- 18 July 2017: Requires improvement
Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems
The area around the school
- Child poverty (IDACI)
- 7/10less deprived than most of England
- Overall deprivation (IMD)
- 7/10less deprived than most of England
| Census 2021 | This area | England |
|---|---|---|
| Adults with a degree or higher | 39.1% | 33.9% |
| Adults with no qualifications | 13.3% | 18.1% |
| In managerial or professional work | 45.8% | 33.2% |
| Households deprived in two or more ways | 9.3% | 18.1% |
| Residents in very good health | 52.5% | 48.5% |
| Homes owned by the occupier | 69.3% | 62.3% |
| Social housing | 4.5% | 17.1% |
| Privately rented | 26.2% | 20.5% |
| Detached houses | 24.7% | 22.9% |
| Flats | 16% | 22.2% |
| Homes with four or more bedrooms | 23.3% | 21.1% |
| Households with no car or van | 9.1% | 23.5% |
These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01024483 · how to read area figures
What homes cost nearby
- Median sale price
- £465,000159 sales within 2 km, January 2024 to September 2026
- Typical range
- £375,000–£677,500the middle half of sales
- England median
- £300,000all sales over the same period
Homes around this school are dearer than three quarters of school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 2 km across every state school.
Fewer than ten homes sold within 1 km, so the figures use 2 km.
Source: HM Land Registry sales within 2 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
Roads around the school
- Child pedestrian casualties
- 0a rural school averages 0.3
- Collisions at school-run times
- 2a rural school averages 0.7
- All reported collisions
- 7a rural school averages 3.4
- Of those, serious or fatal
- 1a rural school averages 0.9
A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted
Nearby schools
- Churchill Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
- Sundridge and Brasted Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
- Ide Hill Church of England Primary School
- Crockham Hill Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
- Chevening, St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
- St Katharine's Knockholt Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
- Amherst School
- Riverhead Infants' School