Tonbridge Grammar School is a selective, state secondary school, based in Tonbridge in Kent. Having been granted academy status in 2011, Tonbridge Grammar was founded in 1905, and admits girls from Year 7 to Year 11, with a co-educational Sixth Form. Tonbridge Grammar sits within the highly competitive group of Kent grammar schools.
Having recently ranked as the top grammar school in Kent (based on exam results), Tonbridge Grammar’s reputation for academia is well-established. In the most recent year, 91.5% of pupils’ A Level results were from A* to B, and students gained places at a significant number of Russell Group Universities, including Oxbridge, Edinburgh and Bath.
Tonbridge Grammar offers a plethora of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. Sports facilities are ample, with the main Deakin Leas site including an indoor sports hall, as well as extensive outdoor spaces used for sports including netball and athletics. Beyond sport, Tonbridge Grammar offers a broad selection of clubs and societies, including chess, debating and philosophy clubs. Regarding the arts, music and drama are supported through specialist rehearsal spaces and studios, and various performances are held throughout the school year.
Entry Points
Like most secondary grammar schools, Tonbridge Grammar School admits pupils primarily at two stages: Year 7 and Year 12. While uncommon, in-year admissions may be possible if vacancies come up.
The school admits 180 students into Year 7, but is highly oversubscribed, with around four or five applicants competing for each place. In the Sixth Form, around 40 places are allocated to external applicants, though this can be higher, depending on how many internal students continue.
Admissions Process for 11+ Entry for Tonbridge Grammar School
Tonbridge Grammar School admits girls based on their performance in the Kent Test. First, parents must register girls for this test in June of Year 5. They will then sit the exam in September of Year 6, which covers English, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Results are received in mid-October; pupils must achieve a score of at least 332, with no subject score below 108, in order to qualify for grammar school assessment.
At this point, parents must complete a Common Application Form and submit it to their local authority, in which they must list their order of preference of schools. Tonbridge Grammar uses a ranked list based on scores and proximity to the school to offer places, which will be made on National Offer Day at the start of March.
When more applicants meet the minimum score than there are places available, Tonbridge Grammar applies their oversubscription criteria.
Looked-after children or previously-looked-after children will be given priority over all applicants. The school offers up to 135 places for students living within a certain area, and they use rank score as a means of offering places. 30 places are offered to students living outside that certain area, and rank score is again used here. Finally, 15 places are offered to girls eligible for Pupil Premium.
In the case of tie-breakers, students living closer to the school are prioritised, and when two students live at the same address, a random selection determines the place.
Example Questions in the Kent Test
The Kent Test is an 11+ selection assessment used for grammar schools in Kent. It is provided by GL Assessment and is made up of two multiple-choice papers, each lasting around one hour. The first paper assesses English and Mathematics, while the second focuses on Non-Verbal and Verbal Reasoning. Results are age-standardised to ensure that younger pupils in an academic year are not disadvantaged.
In addition to these papers, pupils complete a 40-minute writing task. This exercise does not contribute to the main standardised score, but can be used as a deciding factor in cases when a child’s results fall close to the pass mark.
While official specimen papers are not available, GL Assessment provides free familiarisation materials on their website to help candidates prepare.
English: Comprehension
“That afternoon, I sat alone in my repair shop, surrounded by ticking clocks of various sizes. Their consistent rhythms blended together, filling the room with a restless hum. On the front counter lay my grandfather’s old pocket watch, its glass face cracked and its fragile hands frozen at ten past five. Carefully, I raised the back panel and studied the tangled gears inside. I was not sure whether I could fix it, but the thought of leaving it broken felt more unimaginable than failing. With renewed determination, I got to work, turning each screw with deliberate care.”
Q: ‘with renewed determination’
What does this suggest about the narrator’s attitude to fixing the watch?
A: They believed the repair would be finished quickly.
B: They felt doubtful and ready to give up.
C: They felt motivated despite no guarantee of success.
D: They were annoyed by the humming noise in the shop.
E: They had already fixed similar watches previously.
Q: ‘turning each screw with deliberate care’
What does this phrase suggest about how the narrator worked?
A: They hurried in order to finish before closing time.
B: They worked thoughtfully and paid very close attention.
C: They made use of guesswork rather than skill.
D: They were distracted by the relentless humming of clocks.
E: They only adjusted the simpler parts to reach.
English: Punctuation
Q: Which section of this sentence has a punctuation mistake?
“Sophie,” I remarked “When will we be able to leave for dinner?”
A B C D
Mathematics: Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
Q: A film lasts 200 minutes. 35% of it is filmed in a greenhouse. 0.12 of it is filmed at a hospital. 2/5 of it is filmed at a school. The rest is filmed outside. How many minutes are filmed outside?
A: 13 minutes
B: 130 minutes
C: 26 minutes
D: 40 minutes
E: 1 hour
Q: What is 1.2 x 0.08?
A: 96
B: 9.6
C: 0.96
D: 0.096
E: 0.0096
Verbal Reasoning: Letter Sequences
Fill in the letter sequences below:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Q: PN QL RJ SH __ __
Q: BY PK EV XC T_ H_
Verbal Reasoning: Spot The Connection
Choose the word that completes the phrase.
Q: Listen is to (music, hear, blend) as mend is to (seep, fix, workshop)
Q: Dog is to (cat, four, fur) as human is to (alive, cow, two)
Non-Verbal Reasoning
These questions typically focus on problems involving shapes. Candidates may be asked to identify the odd one out in a group, understand whether a shape has been reflected or rotated, or determine what a shape may look like from above.
Writing Task
Past writing questions are not provided online, either by Tonbridge Grammar School or the Kent County Council website, although in previous years, candidates have been asked to produce a piece of descriptive, narrative, or discursive writing. 10 minutes are given to candidates for planning, followed by 30 minutes for writing.
16+ (Sixth Form) Admission Requirements
All external students must make an application in the Winter term of Year 11. Tonbridge Grammar then makes conditional offers to students, based on their upcoming GCSEs. If those conditions are met, places are confirmed based on available spaces in the subjects candidates have expressed an interest in studying at A Level.
All candidates must receive a minimum of grade 6 in English, Mathematics and two sciences. They must also achieve specific grades (usually 7) in the subjects they wish to study at A Level.
In the case of there being more external applicants than places, the school applies a similar oversubscription criteria as mentioned above.
In-year Admissions
To apply for an in-year place at Tonbridge Grammar School, parents must complete an in-year application form. All applicants are then tested by the school, and eligible students are determined by achieving a certain score (currently 118) in each of the CAT4 assessments, which are in Mathematics, Non-Verbal and Verbal Reasoning. If there are no available places, a waiting list is established, in rank order of the CAT4 assessment; girls are kept on the waiting list for 12 months, at which point they must retake the assessment if a place has still not become available.
Appeals
Parents have a right to appeal to an independent panel under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998; information is available on the school’s website.
Preparation Tips for the Entrance Test for Tonbridge Grammar School
Thorough preparation is essential for students aiming to secure a place at Tonbridge Grammar School. Unlike many other grammar schools, students must only take one exam at the 11+ stage, which means there is only one main opportunity to win a place, so exam experience and a thorough knowledge of the KS2 curriculum is important. Read more preparation advice in our article How can I support my child with preparing for the Kent Test?
Keystone have provided specialist tutors for these tests for over a decade, who are experienced and can guide candidates through the entire process. For more details on how Keystone can help with preparation for the Tonbridge Grammar School exam, feel free to call the office for a chat with one of our client managers, or contact us via our request a tutor form.