Apply to Tonbridge Grammar School, in plain English.
Tonbridge Grammar is a girls' grammar school run by Academy Trustees. Entry requires the Kent 11+ (PESE). Places are divided into three separate pools — 135 Area places for girls in three named council areas, 30 Trustee places for girls elsewhere, and 15 Pupil Premium places reserved for lower-scoring PP-eligible girls who would not otherwise get in. Within each pool, score is the primary ranking factor.
The three things to know first.
If you read nothing else on this page, read these. They're the bits that catch parents out.
Where you pay council tax determines which pool your daughter competes in — not postcodes.
The 135 Area places are for girls whose family pays council tax in Tonbridge & Malling Borough, Tunbridge Wells Borough, or Sevenoaks District. If you live outside all three, your daughter competes for one of 30 Trustee places instead — a much smaller pool. The dividing line is your council billing authority, not your postcode, so border areas can surprise you. Check your council tax bill if you are unsure.
Score is what decides Area and Trustee places — not distance.
Unlike many Kent grammars where distance is the primary tiebreaker, Tonbridge Grammar ranks Area and Trustee applicants primarily by 11+ score, with distance only used to separate girls with identical scores. A daughter who lives five miles away with a higher score will rank above a daughter who lives one mile away with a lower score. Getting the highest possible score is therefore especially important at this school.
The 15 PP places are only for girls who score below the Area auto-qualifying score — SIF by 31 Oct.
Pupil Premium places work unusually here. If your daughter is PP-eligible and her score is high enough to get in through the Area allocation, she will simply get in through Area — the PP pool does not apply to her. The 15 PP places exist specifically to give a route in to lower-scoring PP-eligible girls who would otherwise miss out. Those girls are ranked by distance within the PP pool. You must still send the SIF to admissions@tgs.kent.sch.uk by 31 October 2026 to claim this.
Five steps — starting with the Kent 11+.
From registering for the test to your daughter starting Year 7. Steps 3 and 4 both have 31 October deadlines.
If too many girls pass the 11+, these criteria decide.
Children with an EHCP naming Tonbridge Grammar are admitted before these criteria apply. All other eligible girls are sorted into the highest criterion that applies to them. Tap any criterion to see the exact wording.
In plain English: Girls currently or previously in council care (including those adopted from state care outside England) who passed the Kent Test receive the highest priority, regardless of where they live. Each LAC/PLAC admission reduces the number of remaining Area places by one.
What the document says: Children in Local Authority Care, Previously in Local Authority Care or Internationally Adopted Previously Looked After Children who have met the selection requirements. These children reduce the Area place allocation.
In plain English: Girls whose family pays council tax to Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, or Sevenoaks District Council compete for 135 Area places (reduced by any LAC/PLAC admissions). Within this pool, girls are ranked first by their 11+ score — highest to lowest. If two girls tie on score, distance (straight-line NLPG) is the tiebreaker. If that also ties, a random draw decides. This is a score-first system: a girl who lives further away with a higher score will rank above a closer girl with a lower score.
What the document says: 135 places (reduced by LAC/PLAC) for girls who are resident within the London Borough of Tonbridge & Malling, the Borough of Tunbridge Wells, or Sevenoaks District, ranked by 11+ score, then by distance to school as measured by NLPG straight line, then by random ballot.
In plain English: Girls who live outside all three Area council districts (for example, in Maidstone, Dartford, or anywhere else in the country) compete for 30 Trustee places. These are scored in the same way as Area places — ranked by 11+ score first, then distance, then random. Because there are far fewer Trustee places than Area places, competition for them tends to be very high, and the score threshold typically falls higher than for Area places.
What the document says: 30 places for girls who are not resident within the Area, ranked by 11+ score, then distance, then random ballot.
In plain English: This pool is specifically for girls who are Pupil Premium-eligible (FSM at any point in the last 6 years, not Universal Infant FSM) and whose 11+ score is below the automatic qualifying score for Area places. Girls who scored highly enough to qualify for Area places will simply be offered through the Area pool — the PP pool gives an additional route in for lower-scoring PP-eligible girls who would not otherwise receive an offer. Within this pool, girls are ranked by distance (closest first), then random. You must email the Supplementary Information Form to admissions@tgs.kent.sch.uk by 31 October 2026.
What the document says: 15 places for girls in receipt of Pupil Premium whose score is below the automatic qualifying score for Area places. Eligible where FSM claimed at any point in the last six years, excluding Universal Infant Free School Meals. Ranked by distance, then random ballot. SIF required by 31 October.
Higher score beats closer distance.
For Area and Trustee places, a girl's 11+ score is what determines her rank — not how close she lives to the school. Distance is only used to break a tie when two girls have identical scores. A daughter five miles away with a higher score will rank above a daughter one mile away with a lower score. Getting the highest possible score is the single most important factor at Tonbridge Grammar.
Where distance is needed as a tiebreaker, it is measured in a straight line from the address point of your home (from the National Land and Property GazetteerNLPGThe official UK address database. Distance is measured as a straight line between two address points: your home and a fixed point at the school.) to a fixed point on the school site.
See the approximate catchment on the GrammarBound mapTwo Area girls: the one with the higher score ranks higher.
Both girls live in the Area and passed the 11+. Girl B is closer to school but scored 392. Girl A scored 418 — so she ranks higher, even though she lives further away. Distance is only used if scores are identical.
Joining Year 12 — only 20 external places.
Tonbridge Grammar's sixth form is very competitive for external applicants. There are typically only 20 external places available in Year 12. Applications close 8 January 2027.
Ranked by average GCSE — only 20 external places.
External applicants are ranked by their average GCSE grade across their best 8 subjects, then by distance if scores are equal. There is no stated minimum grade threshold, but given only 20 external places are available, the effective bar is very high. Subject-specific entry requirements apply on top for individual A-level subjects.
Apply online by 8 January 2027.
Apply online via the school website before 8 January 2027. The total sixth form may expand to up to 180 if fewer than 160 internal Year 11 students transfer, but external places remain tightly capped. Check the school website for subject entry requirements before applying.
See tgs.kent.sch.uk for the sixth form prospectus and subject entry requirements.
You have two routes, and you can use both.
Waiting list
Ask your council to add your daughter to the Tonbridge Grammar waiting list after National Offer Day. The list is re-ranked each time a child joins, using the same criteria. Late additions can move above you if they hold a higher score or criterion.
Appeal
Lodge an appeal with the school within 20 school days of your refusal letter. An independent panel will hear the case. Running an appeal does not affect your waiting-list position.