Six Early Years open events start on 7 October, one on a Saturday. The Tonbridge school has 60 Reception places and Kent applications close on 15 January.
Parents choosing a primary school for September 2027 have six chances to look round Bishop Chavasse CE Primary School in Tonbridge, starting on Wednesday 7 October. The school sent us its Early Years poster this week and asked us to pass the dates on.
Two things on the list are worth noticing straight away. The first event is an evening one, from 6pm to 7pm, so a working parent does not have to take a morning off. The third is a Saturday, from 9.30am to 11am on 7 November. The other four are mid-morning on a school day, which is when you actually see teaching happening.
The six dates are:
- Wednesday 7 October 2026, 6pm to 7pm
- Monday 12 October 2026, 9.15am to 10.45am
- Saturday 7 November 2026, 9.30am to 11am
- Tuesday 10 November 2026, 9.15am to 10.45am
- Thursday 26 November 2026, 9.15am to 10.45am
- Wednesday 9 December 2026, 9.15am to 10.45am
Mrs Sarah Pullen-Underhill, the school’s admissions and attendance officer, said:
“Our phenomenal team are really looking forward to welcoming lots of prospective families to our school. It’s an incredibly exciting time for us to show you why our enriching and nurturing programme can be the best start for your child’s school journey.”
What happens at one
The poster describes the events as “a chance to explore our vibrant school, experience Forest School and see our enriching provision”. The school’s admissions page is more specific about the running order. Every event is led by the headteacher, Mrs Becks Hood, and includes a full school tour, a look at Forest School, an explanation of the school values and a chance to meet the Early Years teaching team.
If none of the six dates work, the school also runs a tour every Thursday at 9.15am through the year. That one is booked through the office on 01732 676040 or at admissions@bishopchavasseschool.org.uk.
Bishop Chavasse is at 2A Baker Lane, Tonbridge TN11 0FB. It is a two-form entry Church of England school for ages four to eleven, in the Diocese of Rochester and part of the Tenax Schools Trust, which is its own admissions authority rather than the county council. The school says it opened in 2017 and moved into its current building in 2019.
How to book a place
Booking is not optional for these events. The poster gives two routes: the QR code printed on it, or an email to admissions@bishopchavasseschool.org.uk. The admissions page links the same sign-up as an online form.
What it means for you
Looking round is the easy part. The dates that decide anything are Kent County Council’s, and they sit either side of the open events.
Applications for a Reception place in September 2027 open on Friday 6 November 2026 and close on Friday 15 January 2027. The council processes them between 16 January and 15 April, and emails offers after 4pm on Friday 16 April 2027. You can name up to three schools, in order of preference, and the council’s advice is to use all three: naming only one does not give your child any priority at it.
Two details specific to Bishop Chavasse are easy to miss.
- There are 60 places. The school’s admission arrangements for 2027-28 set a published admission number of 60, in two Reception classes of no more than 30.
- There is a second form. As well as the county application, the school asks for a supplementary form, which comes from the school office and cannot be completed online. It is what ranks applications if more than 60 first preferences arrive.
The supplementary form matters most for one criterion. After children with an education, health and care plan naming the school, and after looked after and previously looked after children, the arrangements give a place to up to 15 children from families with a commitment to the Christian faith. The document defines that as a parent worshipping in a Church of England church at least twice a month on average for at least two years before the application. Siblings come next, then compelling medical or social need, then everyone else. Where two applications are otherwise equal, the tiebreak is straight-line distance from home to the school, nearest first.
The school says it welcomes children of all faiths, and that if fewer than 15 church applications come in, those places revert to the sibling and medical categories.
The wider picture
The school was last inspected by Ofsted in July 2022 and rated Good. The school quotes the report on its own site, including the line that “pupils are proud of their school” and that the quality of Early Years provision “stands out”. The full report is published on the Ofsted website.
For parents weighing up the practical side, the school lists wrap-around care from 7.30am to 6.30pm, and after-school clubs that include a different sport each day, pottery, painting, dance, French, girls’ football, boxing and gardening, with a separate Early Years club in the first two terms. Those are the school’s own descriptions of what it offers, not figures from a register.
One point of confusion worth heading off, because it catches people every year: Bishop Chavasse is in Tonbridge, not Tunbridge Wells, and applications go through Kent County Council wherever you live in the county. The Tenax Schools Trust’s registered office address is in Tunbridge Wells, which is a company detail and nothing to do with where the school is.
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