At a Glance
Assessment: GL 11 Plus (Kent test)
Fees Type: Free
Boarding: Day school
Admissions: Girls Only
Places per year: 180
Introduction
Tonbridge Grammar School is a selective academy in Tonbridge, Kent accepting girls aged 11 to 16 with a coeducational sixth form. The school holds specialist status for Languages, Maths and Computing which attracts additional government funding for these programmes. In 2019 the school was inspected by Ofsted and inspectors commented ‘Pupils are motivated and interested because their knowledgeable teachers understand their needs and plan very demanding lessons. As a result, pupils thoroughly enjoy school and achieve exceptionally well.’ Perhaps it’s no surprise then that the school was rated Outstanding in all five categories. The School seeks to prepare its students for the adult world and runs career tailored programmes from year 7 onwards for those curious about careers in specific fields such as medicine, law, dentistry, veterinary medicine, STEM and those preparing for applications to Oxbridge Universities. Beyond academics the school also has ample provision for extracurricular pursuits, which the majority of girls engage in, from societies like hockey, rugby, dance and badminton to classics, foreign languages and film clubs.
As part of the core curriculum all students will be entered for the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) and sit GCSE’s in English, Maths, Sciences, a Modern Foreign Language and a humanities subject (History or Geography). This programme ensures that children receive an education and awareness in a range of fields, with room to specialise in their optional GCSE subjects. Tonbridge Grammar School’s well practised hand with this programme is evidenced by their impressive EBacc average point score which is nearly twice the national average of 4.07 at 7.58 reflecting how well students perform across these subjects. In their GCSE English and Maths examinations 99% of students achieved grades 5 or above. The School has a Progress 8 score of 0.63 which given the scale of -1 to 1 places Tonbridge Grammar School in the highest category of Well above average. Progress 8 reflects how much progress pupils with similar Key stage 2 results achieved by the end of Key 4 dependant on which school in England they attended. It can be said then that attending Tonbridge Grammar School increases the national expected potential of its students.
Securing a place at secondary school can be complicated enough without the extra preparations and consideration required to be deemed eligible for grammar schools. If you have decided that this is the right path for you and your daughter and have set your sights on the Tonbridge Grammar School then we at 11 Plus Hero are here to help! On our website we host familiarisation material and practise paper resources for the selective entrance assessment The Kent Test or Kent PESE (Procedure for Entry to Secondary Education) to help you best prepare your daughter for her future.
Tonbridge Grammar School Key Information
11 Plus Hero regularly updates this page with the key information for Tonbridge Grammar School to help keep you in the loop.
School Address
Full Address:
Tonbridge Grammar SchoolDeakin Leas
Tonbridge
Kent
TN9 2JR
Contact Information
Parking in the school
- Parking is not available at the school ordinarily but parking facilities are located within a 15-20 minutes walk.
Additional parking off site
- Priory Street Car Park, 60a Priory Street, Tonbridge and Malling, TN9 2AW. Mon to Sun 24h.
- Tonbridge Station – Car Park C, Priory Road, Tonbridge and Malling, TN9 1TT. Mon – Sun 24h.
Additional parking off site
- Priory Street Car Park, 60a Priory Street, Tonbridge and Malling, TN9 2AW. Mon to Sun 24h.
- Tonbridge Station – Car Park C, Priory Road, Tonbridge and Malling, TN9 1TT. Mon – Sun 24h.
Key Information for Tonbridge Grammar School
PAN for Year 7 intake (2023)
Total Student Capacity Years 7 to 13 (2022)
Total Students Years 7 to 13 (2022)
Percentage Capacity (2022)
Latest Ofsted Rating (2019)
Selection Test
Tonbridge Grammar School’s Key Dates and Application Information
It can be difficult to keep track of all the dates and deadlines to make a successful application to Tonbridge Grammar School and secondary schools in general so we have created this simple chronological guide for your convenience.
Applications for Secondary School intake 2023
Open Events
Registration for Kent test
Registration of special access requirements for children with SEND by the SENCO from their current school
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 Tonbridge Grammar School
11 Plus Hero sourcers its information exclusively from primary sources and not second hand information. Here we have compiled our main sources of information for Tonbridge Grammar School.
Tonbridge Grammar School Exam Format
Grammar Schools under the authority of the Kent County Council use the Kent Test as their selective entrance test to decide if children would be suitable for a grammar school education and eligible for Admission. This test is produced by the GL 11 Plus exam board and features sections assessing your child’s progress towards KS2 targets and reasoning skill.
The GL 11 Plus Kent Test: Overview
As the Kent Test is shared by all other Kentish Grammar school the best and most consistent way to provide in-depth information is in a single centralised article which we can best ensure is as detailed and up-to-date as possible. On thai page you will find an overview of the Kent Test but please find the detailed guide here: ‘Selective Tests in Kent – The Kent Test’
Paper One
A multiple choice English and Maths paper written by GL 11 Plus and lasting 1 hour.
Paper Two
A multiple choice Verbal Reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning paper written by GL 11 Plus and lasting 1 hour.
Additional
A creative writing exercise written by the school and lasting 40 minutes.
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
The threshold passing mark for the Kent Test is decided on a yearly basis and is based on the results obtained by all children in Kent taking the test that year. As such it is not possible to quote an exact passing grade ahead of time. An individual child’s score is calculated by adding their grade in the two papers and statistically standardising marks with an adjustment for the age of a given child. This gives the child’s aggregate score which must overcome the decided upon threshold for the year to be entered for consideration. It should also be noted that Tonbridge Grammar School operates superselective admissions whereby girls receiving the highest grades in the Kent Test will qualify for admission over those who didn’t score as highly. For more details and examples of previous threshold please see the centralised article ‘Selective Tests in Kent – The Kent Test’.
Pass Mark
The GL 11 Plus Kent Test: Pass Criteria
The threshold passing mark for the Kent Test is decided on a yearly basis and is based on the results obtained by all children in Kent taking the test that year. As such it is not possible to quote an exact passing grade ahead of time. An individual child’s score is calculated by adding their grade in the two papers and statistically standardising marks with an adjustment for the age of a given child. This gives the child’s aggregate score which must overcome the decided upon threshold for the year to be entered for consideration. It should also be noted that Tonbridge Grammar School operates superselective admissions whereby girls receiving the highest grades in the Kent Test will qualify for admission over those who didn’t score as highly. For more details and examples of previous threshold please see the centralised article ‘Selective Tests in Kent – The Kent Test’.
Catchment Area
Tonbridge Grammar School operates two main admission streams in regards to catchment areas. The major cohort comes from the 135 ‘Area places’ which includes girls living in the local areas of Tonbridge & Malling Borough, Tunbridge Wells Borough and Sevenoaks District. Priority of admission is given to girls within this area who achieved the highest scores in the Kent Test, making Tonbridge Grammar School a superselective grammar. Where there is a dispute over equal scoring then priority is given to the girl who lives the closest to the school according to the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) address point data.
The second stream is the 35 ‘Trustee places’ which are given to girls who live outside of the local areas highlighted above. The priority order for admissions is the same as the area places. First priority to the girls scoring highest with disputes settled by giving priority to those living closest.
Additional Eligibility
Certain girls may qualify for enhanced priority of admission to Tonbridge Grammar School if they have a medical or social requirement to attend that would benefit the child’s wellbeing. It is still however a requirement that girls have passed the selective entrance examination – The Kent Test.
- Girls with an Education, Health and Care Plan which specifically mentions Tonbridge Grammar School will be admitted.
- Girls who either are currently or were previously looked after by the local authority will be granted priority admission.
- 10 places are reserved for girls who are both eligible for Pupil Premium and occupy permanent residence in the local areas of Tonbridge & Malling Borough, Tunbridge Wells Borough and Sevenoaks District. Priority of admission will be given to those girls with the highest Kent Test score in these areas. In the case of equal scoring the child who lives in closest proximity to the school is given priority.
Tonbridge Grammar School FAQs
- Tonbridge Grammar School operates superselective admissions meaning that those girls receiving the highest grades in the Kent Test will be admitted with priority over those scoring less well. There are also multiple catchment area and special eligibility considerations to consider, which are detailed in the above Pass Mark section.
- The Kent Test, which is written by the GL 11 Plus exam board, is used as the selective entrance for Tonbridge Grammar School and all other grammar schools in Kent. This assessment has sections assessing your daughters development in Key stage 2 targets in English and Maths as well as their Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning skills.
- More information can be found in the Exam Format section.
- Kent County Council hosts familiarisation material to allow children to get used to the format of their exams which will be useful for the Kent test. These can be found in the Application Documents section.
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