Supporting research

School finances & pupil numbers

Check the dated figures, forecasts and educational evidence behind the proposal.

Supporting research: pupil numbers, finances and results

Use these dated records to check the proposal and our questions. Recorded figures, forecasts and editorial analysis are kept separate. Including a council or Achieving for Children source does not mean this campaign endorses its conclusions.

School comparisons checked 22 September 2026 · finance updated 8 October; historical comparisons checked September 2026.

01 / Pupil trends

Is Kew Riverside Primary School’s decline unusual?

Kew Riverside Primary School’s pupil numbers fell faster than the borough’s: 36.6%, compared with 5.5% across Richmond’s 45 primary-phase schools.

May 2022 → May 2025 · reported pupils

Four May census snapshots, excluding nursery. These show how pupil numbers changed, not why. Source: DfE school capacity data.

Compare the pupil charts and data

The three schools shown are in the Kew planning area. The King’s was formerly The Queen’s. Choosing the whole planning area keeps the comparison consistent; different admissions arrangements and circumstances still matter.

Pupil numbers · the same scale for each school.

Kew Riverside Primary School

142 → 90 pupils

May census in each academic year · excludes nursery

Darell

177 → 177 pupils

May census in each academic year · excludes nursery

The King’s

366 → 392 pupils

May census in each academic year · excludes nursery

Source: DfE school capacity dataset. Four May census snapshots; nursery excluded. These figures use a different series from the council leaflet’s reported and forecast rolls. The lines do not explain why pupil numbers changed.

View the local trend data

Local pupil numbers · May census, excluding nursery
School	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24	2024/25	Change
Kew Riverside Primary SchoolPrimary phase	142	107	102	90	−36.6%
Darell Primary and Nursery SchoolPrimary phase	177	193	194	177	0.0%
The King's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	366	394	398	392	+7.1%

Change = (last year ÷ first year − 1) × 100, rounded to one decimal place. A flat percentage line can still represent a different school size.

Compare all Richmond primary schools

Includes separate infant and junior schools. Compare each school’s change over time with care: they serve different age ranges and communities. Schools are alphabetical, with Kew Riverside Primary School highlighted.

Richmond pupil numbers · May census, excluding nursery
School	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24	2024/25	Change
Archdeacon Cambridge's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	408	413	400	405	−0.7%
Barnes Primary SchoolPrimary phase	414	419	409	410	−1.0%
Bishop Perrin Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	206	205	209	210	+1.9%
Buckingham Primary SchoolPrimary phase	519	501	456	398	−23.3%
Carlisle Infant SchoolPrimary phase	244	245	242	230	−5.7%
Chase Bridge Primary SchoolPrimary phase	604	619	618	620	+2.6%
Collis Primary SchoolPrimary phase	683	652	656	627	−8.2%
Darell Primary and Nursery SchoolPrimary phase	177	193	194	177	0.0%
Deer Park SchoolPrimary phase	299	331	360	391	+30.8%
East Sheen Primary SchoolPrimary phase	566	576	576	602	+6.4%
Hampton Hill Junior SchoolPrimary phase	360	360	349	328	−8.9%
Hampton Infant School and NurseryPrimary phase	345	351	345	335	−2.9%
Hampton Junior SchoolPrimary phase	442	448	461	473	+7.0%
Hampton Wick Infant and Nursery SchoolPrimary phase	186	171	151	139	−25.3%
Heathfield Infant SchoolPrimary phase	287	284	265	232	−19.2%
Heathfield Junior SchoolPrimary phase	459	424	434	410	−10.7%
Holy Trinity Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	382	380	329	303	−20.7%
Kew Riverside Primary SchoolPrimary phase	142	107	102	90	−36.6%
Lowther Primary SchoolPrimary phase	272	250	249	217	−20.2%
Marshgate Primary SchoolPrimary phase	416	414	411	413	−0.7%
Meadlands Primary SchoolPrimary phase	206	202	201	212	+2.9%
Nelson Primary SchoolPrimary phase	299	286	267	241	−19.4%
Orleans Primary SchoolPrimary phase	420	416	416	421	+0.2%
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	172	173	163	149	−13.4%
Sheen Mount Primary SchoolPrimary phase	586	588	572	593	+1.2%
St Edmund's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	416	414	412	415	−0.2%
St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	253	236	212	212	−16.2%
St James's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	614	634	627	619	+0.8%
St John the Baptist Church of England Junior SchoolPrimary phase	226	231	219	228	+0.9%
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	210	203	183	162	−22.9%
St Mary's and St Peter's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	621	616	625	620	−0.2%
St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	626	622	621	611	−2.4%
St Mary's Hampton Church of England PrimaryPrimary phase	190	192	172	170	−10.5%
St Osmund's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	161	154	151	148	−8.1%
St Richard Reynolds Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	210	212	208	210	0.0%
St Richard's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	185	179	170	157	−15.1%
St Stephen's C E Primary SchoolPrimary phase	416	413	419	417	+0.2%
Stanley Primary SchoolPrimary phase	537	486	437	410	−23.6%
The King's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	366	394	398	392	+7.1%
The Russell Primary SchoolPrimary phase	202	207	190	188	−6.9%
The Vineyard SchoolPrimary phase	621	612	594	571	−8.1%
Thomson House SchoolPrimary phase	365	375	369	364	−0.3%
Trafalgar Infant SchoolPrimary phase	221	188	149	136	−38.5%
Trafalgar Junior SchoolPrimary phase	293	293	305	287	−2.0%
Twickenham Primary AcademyPrimary phase	401	401	408	395	−1.5%

Borough totals: 2021/22: 16,228, 2022/23: 16,070, 2023/24: 15,704, 2024/25: 15,338. The 5.5% fall is the change in the combined pupil total, not the average school’s percentage change.

02 / Forecast checks

How reliable are the pupil forecasts?

One short-term forecast was close overall: 651 pupils forecast, 654 counted across the Kew planning area in 2025/26. Reception was forecast too low: 88 forecast, 97 counted.

2024/25 SCAP forecast submission · January 2026 census · checked 2026-09-23

This checks one forecast vintage and one period across Kew Riverside Primary School, Darell and The King’s, excluding nursery. It is not a Kew Riverside Primary School-only forecast or a test of long-term accuracy.

Sources: DfE planning-area forecasts (original ↗︎) · DfE January 2026 school census (original ↗︎).

See the forecast check and why later figures changed

2025/26 Kew planning-area forecast compared with January 2026 census
Measure	Forecast	Actual	Actual minus forecast
Reception–Year 6	651	654	+3
Reception	88	97	+9

Planning-area code 3180007; “actual minus forecast” is a count, not a percentage error.

A separate check: Richmond borough

DfE’s 2025 scorecard reports 14,964 actual primary pupils in 2025/26. The one-year forecast was 221 too high (1.48%); the three-year forecast was 504 too high (3.37%). These are borough totals, not Kew-area or individual-school errors.

Richmond borough primary pupils · forecasts for 2025/26 versus 14,964 actual pupils
Forecast vintage / horizon	Forecast pupils	Forecast minus actual	Error (% of actual)
SCAP25 / 1-year ahead	15,185	+221	+1.48%
SCAP23 / 3-year ahead	15,468	+504	+3.37%

Error = (forecast − actual) ÷ actual × 100. Both forecasts overpredicted for this target year; that does not show forecasts always overpredict or settle Kew’s future demand. Checked 2026-10-08. Original DfE scorecard dataset (original ↗︎).

Why did the later forecast change?

For the same Kew planning area and target year 2031/32, the June 2026 school organisation report projected 514 pupils. The Kew consultation leaflet projected 597, an increase of 83. This forecast revision is not itself a measured forecasting error. Which population, housing, admissions or method assumptions changed? And which version is the proposal and school budget based on? June report (original ↗︎) · consultation leaflet (original ↗︎).

How this forecast check was calculated

The DfE forecast file was filtered to Primary, planning-area code 3180007 and time period 202526. The January census counts were summed for school URNs 133343, 102884, 102921, Reception–Year 6, excluding nursery. Actual minus forecast is +3 pupils overall and +9 in Reception. With the separate signed error formula (forecast − actual) ÷ actual × 100, these are about -0.46% and -9.28%; a percentage error is not the same measure as the count difference. A separate borough-level one- and three-year check is shown above. Repeated Kew-area and school/year-group checks remain to be obtained.

03 / School places

Where are the unfilled places?

Kew Riverside Primary School and Darell both had a lot of unfilled capacity in this snapshot. The King’s was much closer to its reported capacity.

May 2025 pupils + 1 May 2025 capacity

Unfilled capacity is not a current vacancy list or a promise of admission. It does not show staffed places by year group or specialist support capacity. Source: DfE school capacity data.

Compare school capacity and unfilled places

Pupils on rollUnfilled reported capacity

Kew Riverside Primary School

90 pupils / 210 reported places

42.9%120 unfilled

Darell

177 pupils / 420 reported places

42.1%243 unfilled

The King’s

392 pupils / 420 reported places

93.3%28 unfilled

Source: DfE school capacity dataset. Each bar represents 100% of that school’s own capacity; the numbers show that the schools differ in size. Unfilled capacity is not a current vacancy list or a promise of admission. It does not establish how many staffed places exist in each year group. Capacity in SEN units and resourced provision is reported separately, so these bars cannot establish specialist support capacity.

Why can different reports give different occupancy rates?

Capacity is the number of school places. An admission number is how many pupils normally enter a particular year. A temporary cut to the intake can change the capacity used in a council planning calculation.

This chart uses the DfE’s published whole-school capacity for a matched date. It does not substitute a reduced admission number or the newer January 2026 pupil count. See the borough capacity explanation for the council’s separate permanent and temporarily reduced measures.

Compare all Richmond primary schools

Some schools have more pupils than reported capacity. Occupancy can therefore exceed 100%; “above capacity” is shown separately from unfilled places. Infant and junior schools have different age ranges.

Richmond school places · May 2025
School	Pupils	Capacity	Occupied	Unfilled	Above capacity
Archdeacon Cambridge's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	405	450	90.0%	45	0
Barnes Primary SchoolPrimary phase	410	450	91.1%	40	0
Bishop Perrin Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	210	210	100.0%	0	0
Buckingham Primary SchoolPrimary phase	398	630	63.2%	232	0
Carlisle Infant SchoolPrimary phase	230	270	85.2%	40	0
Chase Bridge Primary SchoolPrimary phase	620	630	98.4%	10	0
Collis Primary SchoolPrimary phase	627	750	83.6%	123	0
Darell Primary and Nursery SchoolPrimary phase	177	420	42.1%	243	0
Deer Park SchoolPrimary phase	391	420	93.1%	29	0
East Sheen Primary SchoolPrimary phase	602	630	95.6%	28	0
Hampton Hill Junior SchoolPrimary phase	328	360	91.1%	32	0
Hampton Infant School and NurseryPrimary phase	335	360	93.1%	25	0
Hampton Junior SchoolPrimary phase	473	480	98.5%	7	0
Hampton Wick Infant and Nursery SchoolPrimary phase	139	270	51.5%	131	0
Heathfield Infant SchoolPrimary phase	232	360	64.4%	128	0
Heathfield Junior SchoolPrimary phase	410	480	85.4%	70	0
Holy Trinity Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	303	420	72.1%	117	0
Kew Riverside Primary SchoolPrimary phase	90	210	42.9%	120	0
Lowther Primary SchoolPrimary phase	217	420	51.7%	203	0
Marshgate Primary SchoolPrimary phase	413	420	98.3%	7	0
Meadlands Primary SchoolPrimary phase	212	210	101.0%	0	2
Nelson Primary SchoolPrimary phase	241	630	38.3%	389	0
Orleans Primary SchoolPrimary phase	421	420	100.2%	0	1
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	149	240	62.1%	91	0
Sheen Mount Primary SchoolPrimary phase	593	630	94.1%	37	0
St Edmund's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	415	420	98.8%	5	0
St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	212	308	68.8%	96	0
St James's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	619	630	98.3%	11	0
St John the Baptist Church of England Junior SchoolPrimary phase	228	360	63.3%	132	0
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	162	262	61.8%	100	0
St Mary's and St Peter's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	620	630	98.4%	10	0
St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	611	630	97.0%	19	0
St Mary's Hampton Church of England PrimaryPrimary phase	170	210	81.0%	40	0
St Osmund's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	148	262	56.5%	114	0
St Richard Reynolds Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	210	210	100.0%	0	0
St Richard's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	157	210	74.8%	53	0
St Stephen's C E Primary SchoolPrimary phase	417	420	99.3%	3	0
Stanley Primary SchoolPrimary phase	410	840	48.8%	430	0
The King's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	392	420	93.3%	28	0
The Russell Primary SchoolPrimary phase	188	240	78.3%	52	0
The Vineyard SchoolPrimary phase	571	630	90.6%	59	0
Thomson House SchoolPrimary phase	364	420	86.7%	56	0
Trafalgar Infant SchoolPrimary phase	136	270	50.4%	134	0
Trafalgar Junior SchoolPrimary phase	287	360	79.7%	73	0
Twickenham Primary AcademyPrimary phase	395	420	94.0%	25	0

04 / Year groups

What sits behind the total?

In January 2026, Kew Riverside Primary School had 84 pupils from Reception to Year 6. Its year groups ranged from 8 to 18 pupils.

January 2026 census · pupils by curriculum year

A year group is not necessarily a separate class. This is not the September 2026 roll, or the council’s separate 2026/27 forecast of 84. Source: DfE school census.

Compare year-group sizes and data

Read across each school. Darker shading means more pupils, using the same bands for all three schools. Each number is a year group, not necessarily a separate class.

Kew Riverside Primary School

84 pupils · Reception–Year 6

RecReception: 14

Y1Year 1: 8

Y2Year 2: 10

Y3Year 3: 11

Y4Year 4: 18

Y5Year 5: 14

Y6Year 6: 9

Darell

173 pupils · Reception–Year 6

RecReception: 23

Y1Year 1: 24

Y2Year 2: 28

Y3Year 3: 29

Y4Year 4: 24

Y5Year 5: 24

Y6Year 6: 21

The King’s

397 pupils · Reception–Year 6

RecReception: 60

Y1Year 1: 58

Y2Year 2: 59

Y3Year 3: 58

Y4Year 4: 59

Y5Year 5: 55

Y6Year 6: 48

Fewer pupilsMore pupils

Source: DfE January 2026 school census. Full-time and part-time pupil headcounts are added within each year group; nursery is excluded. This is not the September 2026 roll. The January count of 84 is separate from the council leaflet’s 2026/27 forecast of 84.

Compare all Richmond primary schools

Reception–Year 6 only. At separate infant or junior schools, a zero may mean that year is not offered; it must not be read as an empty class. Public counts are shown as published or summed from published counts; no suppressed values have been estimated.

Richmond year-group counts · January 2026, excluding nursery
School	Reception	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6	Total
Archdeacon Cambridge's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	59	58	50	56	59	60	61	403
Barnes Primary SchoolPrimary phase	60	60	59	60	57	54	60	410
Bishop Perrin Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	26	29	30	29	30	30	30	204
Buckingham Primary SchoolPrimary phase	29	39	46	53	50	71	68	356
Carlisle Infant SchoolPrimary phase	51	85	76	0	0	0	0	212
Chase Bridge Primary SchoolPrimary phase	85	89	89	86	90	88	89	616
Collis Primary SchoolPrimary phase	90	91	90	91	90	87	89	628
Darell Primary and Nursery SchoolPrimary phase	23	24	28	29	24	24	21	173
Deer Park SchoolPrimary phase	59	60	59	60	60	59	60	417
East Sheen Primary SchoolPrimary phase	89	87	82	85	78	88	84	593
Hampton Hill Junior SchoolPrimary phase	0	0	0	67	75	79	85	306
Hampton Infant School and NurseryPrimary phase	115	112	109	0	0	0	0	336
Hampton Junior SchoolPrimary phase	0	0	0	120	122	119	113	474
Hampton Wick Infant and Nursery SchoolPrimary phase	51	43	34	0	0	0	0	128
Heathfield Infant SchoolPrimary phase	81	65	84	0	0	0	0	230
Heathfield Junior SchoolPrimary phase	0	0	0	77	90	115	88	370
Holy Trinity Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	41	26	31	45	46	39	55	283
Kew Riverside Primary SchoolPrimary phase	14	8	10	11	18	14	9	84
Lowther Primary SchoolPrimary phase	30	27	29	34	37	27	39	223
Marshgate Primary SchoolPrimary phase	49	57	55	58	54	56	60	389
Meadlands Primary SchoolPrimary phase	19	30	30	31	30	32	31	203
Nelson Primary SchoolPrimary phase	27	30	25	42	29	30	44	227
Orleans Primary SchoolPrimary phase	45	59	60	59	59	60	61	403
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	22	19	16	15	20	28	26	146
Sheen Mount Primary SchoolPrimary phase	90	90	88	83	83	82	82	598
St Edmund's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	50	60	59	60	60	60	59	408
St Elizabeth's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	31	30	29	30	32	29	31	212
St James's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	89	76	89	89	92	90	94	619
St John the Baptist Church of England Junior SchoolPrimary phase	0	0	0	47	55	54	56	212
St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	24	24	20	22	24	18	20	152
St Mary's and St Peter's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	88	88	90	86	90	89	90	621
St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	90	86	90	82	90	91	90	619
St Mary's Hampton Church of England PrimaryPrimary phase	21	16	22	31	23	31	17	161
St Osmund's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	30	30	26	22	19	17	23	167
St Richard Reynolds Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary phase	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	210
St Richard's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	11	17	15	20	22	29	30	144
St Stephen's C E Primary SchoolPrimary phase	60	57	59	61	60	61	59	417
Stanley Primary SchoolPrimary phase	43	45	35	45	64	69	58	359
The King's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary phase	60	58	59	58	59	55	48	397
The Russell Primary SchoolPrimary phase	18	27	27	29	25	29	30	185
The Vineyard SchoolPrimary phase	57	63	78	71	76	85	86	516
Thomson House SchoolPrimary phase	60	51	54	51	45	50	55	366
Trafalgar Infant SchoolPrimary phase	42	49	42	0	0	0	0	133
Trafalgar Junior SchoolPrimary phase	0	0	0	43	60	82	89	274
Twickenham Primary AcademyPrimary phase	41	48	58	55	58	60	60	380

05 / School finances

What do the school finances show?

The council’s forecast puts Kew’s annual budget gap at £212,417 in 2026/27 and its accumulated deficit at £457,702 by 2028/29.

Forecast: 2026/27 → 2028/29 · checked 2026-10-08

The approved summary has now been received; its future-year columns remain labelled “Indicative”. It is not current cash, an annual £457,702 loss, a fundraising target or a closure saving. The ledger, current monitoring and assumptions are still needed.

Final budget summary (PDF, 1 page; signature removed) · Source and receipt details.

Year-by-year forecast and calculation

The summary supplied in the 7 October response is marked FINAL and records governing-body approval on 20 May 2026. Its 2026/27–2028/29 columns are still labelled “Indicative”; these are forecasts, not final accounts. The starting point is a £231,685.09 revenue reserve on 31 March 2026. The reserve alone does not establish financial sustainability.

Received final budget summary · indicative revenue forecasts, not final accounts
Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Annual gap	Published year-end position
2026/27	£933,655.38	£1,146,072.76	£212,417.38	£19,267.70
2027/28	£971,885.36	£1,187,062.82	£215,177.46	−£195,909.75
2028/29	£967,887.26	£1,229,679.50	£261,792.24	−£457,702.00

Calculation: annual gap = expenditure minus income. Subtracting the three exact gaps from £231,685.09 gives −£457,701.99, which rounds to the published £457,702 deficit. This explains the earlier £1 difference from subtracting whole-pound FAQ figures. The displayed opening balances, income and expenditure give one-penny differences from the printed closing balances; the table preserves the source’s figures.

The summary projects £19,267.70 left at March 2027, conflicting with the leaflet’s exhaustion claim and FAQ Q6’s “now exhausted” wording. The approved summary is available; the ledger, monthly commitments and forecast assumptions are still needed to reconcile those statements. FAQ Q5–6 (original ↗︎).

See the financial timeline and five-year history

Reported reserve and council projection · different dates and measures
When	Type	What the source says
31 March 2026	Actual revenue reserve	£231,685.09
31 March 2027	FAQ Q5 indicative projection	£19,268 remaining reserve
By 2028/29	Council projection	More than £400,000 accumulated deficit

Source for the dated actual: council school balances, Kew row (original ↗︎).

The revenue reserve fell by £75,103.70 in 2025/26. The council reports revenue and capital balances separately. Income, spending, commitments, support and pupil assumptions are needed to connect these actuals to its projection.

Annual result means income less expenditure in that financial year. Revenue reserve is the balance carried at year end. These DfE history figures are reported at the source's displayed precision; they are not an annual forecast.

Kew Riverside Primary School reported financial actuals · years ending in March
Financial year	Income	Expenditure	In-year result	Year-end revenue reserve
2021/22	£1,077,786	£1,131,429	−£53,643	£167,012
2022/23	£1,152,466.12	£1,079,134.19	+£73,331.93	£240,343.48
2023/24	£1,086,894	£1,066,589	+£20,305	£260,648
2024/25	£1,078,683	£1,032,542	+£46,141	£306,789
2025/26	£1,015,098	£1,090,201	−£75,103	£231,685

Sources: DfE income history (original ↗︎), expenditure history (original ↗︎) and balance history (original ↗︎). For 2025/26 the DfE whole-pound in-year result is −£75,103; the council's precise reserve movement is −£75,103.70, rounded to −£75,104. Their displayed whole-pound figures therefore differ by £1. The approved summary is now available; the detailed ledger and current monitoring remain outstanding.

Download these observations and their sources (CSV) ↓ · Structured observations (JSON)

What would closure actually save?

The DfE records a £69,640 PFI charge in Kew Riverside Primary School's 2025/26 expenditure. That school charge is not the council's entire contract liability or a saving that would automatically follow closure. Which costs would cease, continue or transfer—and what new transition, receiving-school, support or transport costs would arise? The net comparison and Kew-specific contract terms were not in the reviewed public records. DfE expenditure history (original ↗︎) · See the cost audit question.

A question to use in your response

06 / Different proposals, different circumstances

What is Richmond considering elsewhere?

The council proposes closing Kew Riverside Primary School and amalgamating two schools in Hampton Wick. Both are proposals for September 2027; neither is a final decision.

An amalgamation elsewhere does not establish that it would work at Kew or preserve teaching on its site. Sources checked 22 September 2026: Kew leaflet · Hampton Wick / St John leaflet.

Compare the two proposals

Proposed closure

Kew Riverside Primary School

Close the school at the end of 2026/27, effective 1 September 2027. The council offers every current pupil a place at Darell, with other schools subject to availability.

The leaflet explains why options such as a smaller intake, shared leadership, amalgamation and academy arrangements were not preferred.

Read the Kew proposal and questions →

Proposed amalgamation

Hampton Wick Infant & Nursery + St John the Baptist Junior

Bring the two schools together into a 210-place primary school, keeping nursery provision. At first it would run across both buildings; the longer-term aim is a single site.

The legal route would close one school and extend the other’s age range. Which school closes, the resulting school’s status and the eventual site remain to be determined.

Read the council’s amalgamation leaflet ↗︎

Sources checked 22 September 2026: council consultation overview; Hampton Wick / St John leaflet, PDF pages 7–10; Kew leaflet.

07 / Learning and results

What does the educational evidence show?

In 2025, 73% of Kew’s Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. The figures were 62% in England and 78% in Richmond.

Different, small Year 6 cohorts: 12 eligible pupils at Kew in 2023 and 15 in 2025; the 2024 count is unverified here. One pupil can change the percentage substantially. These are attainment results, not the same children’s progress or a school ranking.

2024/25 final DfE results · checked 22 September 2026. Sources: school results · Richmond and England · eligible cohorts.

Newer context: Darell’s 2025/26 school announcement reports 68% for all 22 pupils, including specialist resource provision. That compares with a provisional England figure of 63%. We did not find comparable Kew 2026 results. These are different years and publication stages, so they do not support a like-for-like Kew/Darell comparison.

Explore results over time, charts and data

Kew’s combined reading, writing and maths attainment exceeded the England figure in each published year from 2023 to 2025. Its results fluctuated: 75%, 67%, then 73%, against England’s 60%, 61%, 62%. Richmond’s figures were 74%, 76%, 78%; Kew was below the borough figure in 2024 and 2025.

These are different, small Year 6 cohorts: 12 eligible pupils at Kew in 2023 and 15 in 2025. The 2024 eligible count has not been independently verified here. One pupil can change a small cohort’s percentage substantially. These figures describe attainment, not the same children’s progress, a school ranking or the cause of their results.

Percentage meeting the expected standard in all three subjects · academic years 2022/23–2024/25 · same 0–100% scale. Jump to results tables.

Final DfE data: school results, Richmond and England, and eligible cohorts. Dataset version 1.0.1, published 23 April 2026; checked 22 September 2026. Expected standard is the combined measure; “higher” requires higher-standard reading/maths and greater-depth writing.

View results by year, school and subject

All school comparisons use whole cohorts; no pupils in specialist resource provision are left out. Richmond and England figures cover state-funded schools. These percentages cannot predict one child’s experience or show the effect of moving school.

Combined reading, writing and maths · final DfE results
Academic year	School or area	Expected standard	Higher standard	Eligible pupils
2022/23	Kew Riverside Primary School	75%	17%	12
2022/23	Richmond upon Thames	74%	18%	Not shown
2022/23	England	60%	8%	Not shown
2022/23	Darell	52%	22%	27
2023/24	Kew Riverside Primary School	67%	7%	Not verified
2023/24	Richmond upon Thames	76%	17%	Not shown
2023/24	England	61%	8%	Not shown
2023/24	Darell	53%	19%	Not verified
2024/25	Kew Riverside Primary School	73%	13%	15
2024/25	Richmond upon Thames	78%	21%	Not shown
2024/25	England	62%	8%	Not shown
2024/25	Darell	39%	9%	23

In 2025, Kew’s expected-standard reading and writing were above England’s, while maths was one percentage point below. All three were below Richmond’s. Reading and maths are test results; writing is teacher-assessed.

Subject attainment · 2024/25 · final DfE results
Subject	School or area	Expected standard	Higher standard
Reading	Kew Riverside Primary School	80%	47%
Reading	Richmond upon Thames	88%	54%
Reading	England	75%	33%
Reading	Darell	57%	26%
Writing	Kew Riverside Primary School	80%	20%
Writing	Richmond upon Thames	83%	26%
Writing	England	72%	13%
Writing	Darell	57%	22%
Maths	Kew Riverside Primary School	73%	33%
Maths	Richmond upon Thames	88%	46%
Maths	England	74%	26%
Maths	Darell	43%	9%

The current DfE extract does not give the earlier subject percentages here. The inspection report gives Kew’s earlier expected-standard figures separately. Comparable older subject and higher-standard figures that were not verified in this collection remain unavailable.

Kew earlier subject attainment · inspection report, PDF pages 9–10
Academic year	Subject	Expected standard
2022/23	Reading	92%
2022/23	Writing	83%
2022/23	Maths	83%
2023/24	Reading	80%
2023/24	Writing	67%
2023/24	Maths	73%

Inspection report, PDF pages 9–10. The 2025 Kew figures in the report agree with the DfE table above.

Separate 2025/26 update · Darell school report and England provisional data
Subject	Darell expected	Darell higher	England expected	England higher
Reading, writing and maths	68%	14%	63%	9%
Reading	68%	27%	75%	31%
Writing	73%	23%	73%	13%
Maths	73%	23%	75%	27%

“Not available” means a measure was not verified in this collection; it never means zero. These newer rows are separate from the final 2023–2025 series.

Sources, missing values and a conflicting school graphic

Use the academic year to compare results, not the date a page was published. This collection uses final DfE school/area results and eligible-pupil metadata, with the inspection’s historical subject table and the newer Darell announcement clearly distinguished. It does not infer 2024 cohort counts from a three-year total.

Kew’s school-published 2025 graphic gives maths as 76% expected and 29% higher, while final DfE gives 73% and 33%. We use the final DfE values; the reason for the difference has not been established. The inspection describes Kew’s 2024 combined result as close to average, although its percentage is numerically above England’s. There are no 2024/25 KS1-to-KS2 progress measures because that cohort’s earlier assessments were cancelled.

Downloads keep missing values as missing; they do not turn them into zeros. The selected years do not bridge the years when assessments were cancelled. School comparisons cannot separate the effect of teaching from the make-up of each cohort or other influences.

Download attainment data (CSV) ↓ · Attainment data and sources (JSON)

July 2026 inspection: strengths and areas to improve

The full, 16-page Ofsted report hosted by the school records an inspection on 8 July 2026. Read each category judgement on its own; they are not a single overall grade.

Strong standard: early years; inclusion; personal development and wellbeing.
Expected standard: achievement; curriculum and teaching; leadership and governance.
Needs attention: attendance and behaviour. Inspectors praised behaviour but identified persistent absence.
Safeguarding: Standards met.

Next steps include improving attendance and making teaching approaches consistent. On page 6, inspectors also describe pupils helping younger children with reading and taking on leadership roles. These are things inspectors reported, not proof that mixed-age grouping caused them. Read the full inspection, including improvement areas ↗︎.

How mixed-age learning is planned at Kew

The school’s curriculum explanation describes a two-year Cycle A/Cycle B plan. It says the plan is meant to cover the National Curriculum while building on earlier learning. Its current overview shows Cycle B for 2025/26 and Cycle A for 2026/27.

A concrete example: the Year 1/2 curriculum map, PDF page 3 lists the Great Fire of London for Cycle A’s first autumn half-term. For Cycle B, it lists the Gunpowder Plot/Remembrance Day. Alternating topics illustrates the school’s coverage plan. It does not by itself show that every child avoids missed or repeated learning.

The school’s pages give inconsistent class counts, so this site does not assert a current count. Ask the school how the cycle, subject progression and support work for your child. What research does—and does not—tell us about mixed-age classes · Ask about a visit.

A question to use in your response

Sources and method

Keep the comparisons fair.

The dates and measures differ. These comparisons cannot show causes, whether places are available now, or how many pupils are needed for financial viability.

How these comparisons were made

Dates stay separate. May school-roll histories, May 2025 capacity and January 2026 year groups answer different questions. None is a live September headcount.
Comparable scope. The borough tables cover 45 mainstream state-funded primary-phase schools, including infant and junior schools, with nursery excluded. They are not a ranking of school quality. Capacity excludes places in SEN units and resourced provision; those are reported separately.
Local selection. Kew Riverside Primary School, Darell and The King’s are the three schools in Kew planning area 3180007 in the capacity dataset. The King’s name is used in the latest records; older documents call it The Queen’s.
Reorganisations and sites. School histories follow the stable school establishment identifier where three schools changed their unique reference number. Thomson House’s two site records are added into one school total. All 45 schools have four years of data.
Calculated figures. Occupancy = pupils ÷ reported capacity × 100. Trend change = (last roll ÷ first roll − 1) × 100. Percentages are rounded to one decimal; totals are calculated from unrounded counts.
Limits. These charts cannot show causes, whether places are available now or how many pupils are needed for financial viability. Funding and housing scenarios need more verified evidence.

Download the chart data (CSV) ↓

Spreadsheet download includes the values, measurement dates and source links. Structured data and provenance (JSON) · Report a correction privately.

Contains Department for Education information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Analysis and questions are this parent-led site’s editorial work.