Tonbridge Grammar School

About Tonbridge Grammar School

Tonbridge Grammar School holds an Outstanding rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained across both its most recent graded inspection in 2019 and an ungraded visit in 2024 where inspectors confirmed standards were still being maintained. The strongest single metric for understanding academic performance here is the school's Progress 8 score of 0.75, which means pupils on average achieve nearly three-quarters of a grade higher per subject than students nationally with similar starting points. That score places the school in the top 8 per cent of all secondary schools in England, and it ranks third out of ten schools in the Tonbridge and Malling local authority area. For context, the average Progress 8 score across all Kent secondary schools is -0.13, so this is a significant positive outlier. Every single pupil achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, and 100 per cent of students entered the English Baccalaureate.

The school's Attainment 8 score sits at 79.4 out of a possible 90, and the EBacc average point score is 7.86, which is well into the territory of strong A and A* equivalents at GCSE. Within the Progress 8 breakdown, the strongest subject area is the EBacc bucket (0.87), followed by open subjects (0.78), with English (0.69) and maths (0.59) also well above average. The school has a selective intake, which is reflected in the fact that only 2 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, compared with a national average closer to 20 per cent. The sixth form is also rated Outstanding, and the school offers a full range of A-level subjects alongside a strong EBacc pathway. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 96 per cent of respondents would recommend the school, and 97 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy here.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 180 places in Year 7, there were 829 applications, giving a ratio of 4.6 applicants per place, with 302 first-preference applications. It is a girls' grammar school with no religious character, and the headteacher is Rebecca Crean. Facilities include a theatre, astro turf, art studios, a sixth form centre, and a sports hall, with sports on offer ranging from rowing to netball and hockey. The school has identified SEND provisions for autistic spectrum disorder, dyslexia, visual impairment, physical disability, and social, emotional and mental health needs, though only 15 per cent of parents responding to the parent view survey said their child had SEND. This is a school for academically able girls who thrive in a high-expectation environment with a strong focus on the EBacc and a broad range of extracurricular clubs including choir, debate, and science club.

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