At a Glance
Assessment: GL 11 Plus (Kent test)
Fees Type: Fee Paying
Boarding: Day school, Boarding
Admissions: Mixed Boys and Girls
Places per year: 90
Fee per term: £4800
Fee per year: £14400
Introduction
Located in the Wealden Countryside of Kent and forming part of the Weald’s Area of Outstanding natural beauty sits Cranbrook School and its 75 acres of on-site green space. Cranbrook School is a co-educational selective Grammar and one of only 7 remaining schools in the UK to offer Boarding, which is available to students from years 9 to 13 and forms one third of the students. The school has been in operation for over 500 years having been founded in 1518 and was granted its royal charter in 1574 by Queen Elizabeth I. The school has a house system which fosters a sense of community and competition in the students but also forms part of the pastoral care framework. Each house has a captain and several student elders who sit on cross-school committees representing and guiding the younger pupils building a sense of leadership and community. Every child has a member of staff as a house tutor who will take personal and individual care of students, whilst overseeing the house as a whole. Cranbrook School has a stong impetus on developing well rounded, confident and capable individuals and not just children who can perform well in exams. Their online student portal containing revision guides and subject notes encourages children to develop independent learning. The school also hosts a wide variety of extracurricular activities with outside initiative such as charity initiatives, combined cadet force and the Duke of Edinburgh Award but also student sed societies such as book clubs, performing arts, chess, robotics, cookery and sporting competitions.
Academic Achievement
On its most recent inspection in March 2022 Cranbrook School was awarded a classification of Good overall and outstanding in several categories with inspectors commenting “Pupils are highly motivated to do well. They have a thirst for learning and show mutual respect. The high expectations staff have for pupils lead to excellent behaviour in lessons and at social times. A feeling of calm and purposefulness pervades the school.” Cranbrook School places high value in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) with 94% of its students qualifying. This is a distinction whereby students have elected to study a varied selection of GCSE’s including English, Maths, Science, Humanities and a language subject which will provide a rounded and thorough education. The EBacc average point score is a measure of how well students perform on this programme and Cranbrook students receive an average score of 6.44 versus the national average of 4.07. When assessed with a broader but similar metric the attainment 8 score at Cranbrook, representing the average score in the best 8 GCSE subjects taken, is 65.6 versus the national average of 46.7. At 86%, Twice the number of Cranbrook students receive grades 5 and above in GCSE English and Maths compared to the national average.
11 Plus Hero
If you are considering an application to Grammar School and have selected Cranbrook School as your choice then 11 Plus Hero is here to guide you through the application process and the preparations for Cranbrook School’s selective Grammar school assessment The Kent test. We provide all of the key dates, school information and contact details you will need. We also host a variety of preparation materials including practise papers and materials to help your child best prepare for a successful Grammar school assessment.
Cranbrook School Key Information
Locating the core school details and contact information can be laborious, so 11 Plus Hero has condensed it into one location for your convenience.
School Address
Full Address:
Cranbrook SchoolWaterloo Road
Cranbrook
Kent
TN17 3JD
Contact Information
Parking in the school
The School does have its own car park for dropping off and picking up students. During open evenings this may become congested so we here provide alternative car parking facilities within a 10 minute walk.
Additional parking off site
- Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, The Tanyard, Tunbridge Wells, TN17 3HY. Mon-Sun 24 hours.
- Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Jockey Lane, Tunbridge Wells, TN17 3JN. Mon-Sun 24 hours.
- Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, High Street, Tunbridge Wells, TN17 3DQ. Mon-Sun 24 hours.
Additional parking off site
- Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, The Tanyard, Tunbridge Wells, TN17 3HY. Mon-Sun 24 hours.
- Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Jockey Lane, Tunbridge Wells, TN17 3JN. Mon-Sun 24 hours.
- Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, High Street, Tunbridge Wells, TN17 3DQ. Mon-Sun 24 hours.
Key Information for Cranbrook School
PAN for Year 7 intake (2023)
Year 9 Total Places
Total Student Capacity Years 7 to 13 (2022)
Total Students Years 7 to 13 (2022)
Percentage Capacity (2022)
Latest Ofsted Rating (2022)
Selection Test
Cranbrook School’s Key Dates and Application Information
The dates for general Grammar School applications and for Cranbrook School specific events are listed here and updated as soon as new information becomes avaliable.
Applications for Secondary School intake 2023
Open Events (Year 7)
Registration for Kent test
Registration of Special educational needs and disability by the child's current school’s special educational needs coordinator.
Kent Test - Exam date for children attending school in Kent
Kent Test - Exam date for children attending school outside of Kent
Kent Test Results Date
Common Application form (CAF) Deadline
Application Documents for Cranbrook School
11 Plus Hero has compiled the key documents containing the vital information necessary to make an informed decision on whether Cranbrook School is the right choice for your child. We provide the general admission policy as well as the boarding admissions policy but it should be noted that boarding is only available from years 9 through to year 13.
Cranbrook School Admissions Policy 2023
View PDFCranbrook School Boarding Admissions Policy (for years 9 to 13) 2023
View PDFCranbrook School Supplementary Form for Pupil Premium Information 2023
View PDFInformation for the Kent test
View PDFKent council school application dates
View PDFHow to apply for the Kent Test
View PDFKent Country Council - Kent Test Familiarisation
View PDFCranbrook School Exam Format
Alongside the other Grammar Schools under the authority of the Kent County Council, Cranbrook School performs its Grammar School selective process via the Kent Test, which is sometimes referred to as the Kent PESE (Procedure for Entry to Secondary Education). This assessment is provided by the GL 11 Plus exam board and contains questions to test your child’s development in English and Maths alongside their capacity for verbal and non-verbal reasoning. 11 Plus Hero is your guide for understanding what the Kent Test involves and providing you and your child with practise papers and materials to effectively prepare for assessment.
The GL 11 Plus Kent Test: Overview
We here provide a simplified overview of the Kent Test with an in-depth breakdown provided in a separate article in order to provide consistent and clear advice for all Kentish Grammar Schools, which can be found here ‘Selective Tests in Kent – The Kent Test’.
Paper One
A multiple choice English and Maths paper written by the GL 11 Plus exam board
Paper 2
A multiple choice Verbal Reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning paper written by the GL 11 Plus exam board
Additional Element
A creative writing exercise written by the school itself
The Kent Test - GL 11 Plus Assessment Criteria
| English | Maths | Verbal Reasoning | Non-Verbal Reasoning | Additional |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pass Mark
The GL 11 Plus Kent Test: Pass Criteria
Selective Grammar School testing does not have a set pass mark or percentage of marks which holds true every year as these tests are designed to identify the children most likely to benefit from Grammar school education, which is estimated to be the top 25% of children nationwide. More information on how the results are calculated can be found in the centralised article ‘Selective Tests in Kent – The Kent Test’.
As an indication of the minimum required threshold pass mark the school makes avaliable the lowest scores achieved my admitted children from previous years. It is very important to not however that not all of the children who recieved the same score as these grades were admitted. In cases where multiple children receive the same grade and are all eligable for admision, places will be awarded accoring to Cranbrook School’s catchment area and additional eligibility criteria, as detailed on this page and in their admissions policy.
Nonetheless we here present the standardised aggregate pass mark from the last 6 years:
- September 2022 – 354
- September 2021 – 365
- September 2020 – 354
- September 2019 – 334
- September 2018 – 329
- September 2017 – 346
Pass Mark
The GL 11 Plus Kent Test: Pass Criteria
Selective Grammar School testing does not have a set pass mark or percentage of marks which holds true every year as these tests are designed to identify the children most likely to benefit from Grammar school education, which is estimated to be the top 25% of children nationwide. More information on how the results are calculated can be found in the centralised article ‘Selective Tests in Kent – The Kent Test’.
As an indication of the minimum required threshold pass mark the school makes avaliable the lowest scores achieved my admitted children from previous years. It is very important to not however that not all of the children who recieved the same score as these grades were admitted. In cases where multiple children receive the same grade and are all eligable for admision, places will be awarded accoring to Cranbrook School’s catchment area and additional eligibility criteria, as detailed on this page and in their admissions policy.
Nonetheless we here present the standardised aggregate pass mark from the last 6 years:
- September 2022 – 354
- September 2021 – 365
- September 2020 – 354
- September 2019 – 334
- September 2018 – 329
- September 2017 – 346
Catchment Area
Catchment area
Cranbrook School is a super selective Grammar with a priority catchment area. Super selective means that within their defined catchment area they give priority of admission to those students scoring highest on the Kent Test, not necessarily those who are closest to the School as some other Grammar schools do.
Cranbrook School’s Priority catchment tiers:
- The Civil Parishes of Cranbrook, Sissinghurst, Goudhurst, Staplehurst, Frittenden, Benenden, Sandhurst and Hawkhurst.
- Children occupying permanent residence at a location within 8.5 kilometres or 5.28 miles from Cranbrook School in a straight line as measured by the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NPLG) address point data.
In cases of tied admission eligibility in terms of Kent Test score and any additional factors proximity to the school via NPLG data will be used for selection. Failing this selection will be random.
Additional Eligibility
- Students with a statement of special educational needs (Educational Health and Care Plan) which specifically names Cranbrook School and who have passed the Kent Test will be admitted with priority to other admission criteria.
- Children who are either looked after or where previously looked after by the local authority (i.e. children in care)
- Children entitled to Pupil Premium (in receipt of free school meals at any point in the last 6 years) who reside within the priority catchment area
- Children with a sibling already in attendance, or a parent as staff at Cranbrook School
- Admission places will be given to students with a permanent address in the catchment area with priority to those achieving highest scores in the Kent Test
- Candidates living outside the priority catchment area will also be awarded admission based on their Kent Test score
Cranbrook School FAQs
The pass mark changes on a yearly basis as it is dependant on the scores of every child taking the Kent Test and undergoes statistical standardisation. More information can be found in the section ‘Cranbrook School Exam Format’ and in the centralised article Selective Tests in Kent – The Kent Test’.
The Kent Test or Kent PESE (Procedure for Entry to Secondary Education) is used to select children most likely to benefit from a Grammar School education. This test is provided by the GL 11 Plus exam board and contains section on English. Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. More information can be found in the section Cranbrook School Exam Format.
- Kent County Council hosts familiarisation material to allow children to get used to the format of the exam and types of questions they will face. Links to these can be found in the above section – Application Documents.
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