School WiselyBeta

Tonbridge Grammar School[1]

Grammar · Secondary · ages 11–18

Open in the map

Headline results

Attainment 8
A8 77 77.0 2025/26[2]

Results

GCSE (key stage 4)

Attainment 8
77 2025/26[2]
Grade 5+ in English & maths
97.2% 2025/26[2]
Grade 7+ in English & maths
76.1% 2025/26[2]
Progress 8
+0.75 2023/24[3]
Progress 8, 2025/26
Not calculated[4]
Progress 8, 2024/25
Not calculated[4]
Earlier years
Year Attainment 8 Grade 5+ in English & maths Grade 7+ in English & maths Progress 8
2024/25 77.2[5] 98.3%[5]
2023/24 79.4[3] 100%[3] +0.75[3]
2022/23 77.3[6] 98%[6] +0.76[6]
2021/22 81.9[7] 99%[7] +0.61[7]

A level (16–18)

A-level average grade
B+ 2012/13[8]
All results, 2020/21
Not published (exams cancelled, COVID-19)[9]
All results, 2019/20
Not published (exams cancelled, COVID-19)[9]

Destinations after GCSEs

Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment
100% 2022/23[10]
School sixth form
91% 2022/23[10]
Sixth-form college
0% 2022/23[10]
Further education college
2% 2022/23[10]
Apprenticeship
0% 2022/23[10]
Employment
0% 2022/23[10]
Earlier leavers
Left in Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment School sixth form Sixth-form college Further education college Apprenticeship Employment
2021/22 100%[11] 87%[11] 1%[11] 1%[11] 0%[11] 0%[11]
2020/21 98%[12] 94%[12] 1%[12] 0%[12] 0%[12] 0%[12]
2019/20 100%[13] 95%[13] 0%[13] 1%[13] 0%[13] 0%[13]
2018/19 99%[14] 91%[14] 1%[14] 0%[14] 1%[14] 0%[14]

Destinations after 16–18 study

Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment
92% 2022/23[15]
Education
73% 2022/23[15]
Apprenticeship
1% 2022/23[15]
Employment
18% 2022/23[15]
Earlier leavers
Left in Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment Education Apprenticeship Employment
2021/22 89%[16] 77%[16] 1%[16] 11%[16]
2020/21 94%[17] 73%[17] 1%[17] 20%[17]
2019/20 91%[18] 80%[18] 1%[18] 10%[18]
2018/19 88%[19] 71%[19] 0%[19] 17%[19]

Higher education after 16–18 study

Progressed to higher education
89% 2021/22[20]
Top third of most selective universities
73% 2021/22[20]
Russell Group universities
61% 2019/20[21]
Oxford or Cambridge
4% 2019/20[21]
Earlier leavers
Left in Progressed to higher education Top third of most selective universities Russell Group universities Oxford or Cambridge
2020/21 90%[22] 77%[22]
2019/20 91%[21] 76%[21] 61%[21] 4%[21]
2018/19 94%[23] 69%[23] 61%[23] 4%[23]
2017/18 88%[24] 71%[24] 62%[24] 6%[24]

Shares of the pupils who left in the year shown. Russell Group and Oxford or Cambridge figures were published for leavers up to 2019/20 only.

Ofsted

Latest inspection
3 Dec 2024[25]
Type
Section 8 inspection of good and outstanding schools[25]
Report published
16 Jan 2025[25]
Safeguarding is effective?
Yes[25]
Outcomes for ungraded and monitoring inspections
Standards maintained[25]
Earlier inspections
InspectionTypeOverall
16 Oct 2019[26] Exempt School Inspection[26] Outstanding[26]

Competition to get in

Applications and offers, Year 7

Applications per place
5.4 Entry Sept 2026[27]
Applications (any preference)
975 Entry Sept 2026[27]
First preferences
353 Entry Sept 2026[27]
Places offered
180 Entry Sept 2026[27]
First preferences per place
2.0 Entry Sept 2026[27]
Earlier years
Entry Applications First preferences Places offered Per place First preferences per place
Entry Sept 2025 829[27] 302[27] 180[27] 4.6[27] 1.7[27]
Entry Sept 2024 908[27] 311[27] 180[27] 5.0[27] 1.7[27]
Entry Sept 2023 830[27] 295[27] 180[27] 4.6[27] 1.6[27]
Entry Sept 2022 830[27] 321[27] 179[27] 4.6[27] 1.8[27]

Admissions

Application deadline
2 Nov 2026 Entry Sept 2027[28]
Catchment, as the policy words it
Tonbridge & Malling Borough, Tunbridge Wells Borough and Sevenoaks District 2026-10-14[29]
Catchment, as the policy words it
Tonbridge and Malling Borough, Tunbridge Wells Borough and Sevenoaks District council areas 2026-10-14[28]
Places beyond the catchment
30 2026-10-14[28]
Places (published admission number)
180 Entry Sept 2027[28]
Places (published admission number), 11+ entry
180 2026-10-14[29]
Entrance test, 11+ entry
Kent PESE 11+ Test 2026-10-14[28]

Character & practicalities

Type
Academy converter[1]
Ages
11–18[1]
Boys / girls
Girls[1]
Admissions
Selective[1]
Sixth form
Yes[1]
Boarding
No boarders[1]
Capacity
1260[1]
Trust
TONBRIDGE GRAMMAR SCHOOL[1]
Local authority
Kent[1]
Website
http://www.tgs.kent.sch.uk[1]
District
Tonbridge and Malling[30]
Postcode
TN9 2JR[1]
URN
136417[1]

School details as recorded in Get Information About Schools on 14 Oct 2026.

Pupils

Number on roll
1164 2024/25[31]
English as an additional language
11% 2024/25[31]
SEN support
5.2% 2024/25[31]
EHC plan
0.2% 2024/25[31]
Free school meals in the last 6 years
2.2% 2024/25[31]

Pupils' ethnicity 2025/26

White
55.1%[32]
Mixed
13.2%[32]
Asian
25%[32]
Black
2.9%[32]
Any other ethnic group
1.3%[32]
Unclassified
2.4%[32]

The school census's major ethnic groups as shares of the school's pupils, summed by us from the published counts. For information only: never used to rank, filter or colour schools.

In the inspectors' and the school's words

Academic
Pupils achieve exceptionally well in this school, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).[33]
Warmth
Relationships across the school are strong. ‘cares about the students as whole individuals’[33]
Pastoral care
Ongoing well-being and mental health support ensures that pupils not only feel supported in school, but also develop a toolkit of strategies to help support them beyond the classroom.[33]
Behaviour
Behaviour is exemplary. Movement in corridors is purposeful and calm.[33]
Learning support
The school supports pupils with SEND especially well.[33]
Pupil voice
Here, pupils have a voice, and one that matters. They create their own societies and projects[33]
Independence
Carefully selected activities foster a sense of achievement in pupils and an increasing independence. engenders pupils who are ‘freethinkers who have confidence’.[33]
Structure
Pupils conduct themselves well because of the culture of high expectations fostered throughout the school.[33]
Diversity
such as the Diversity and Inclusion Alliance, which celebrates the cultural diversity in the school.[33]

Sources

  1. Department for Education: Get Information About Schools: all establishments. Period 2026-10-14, published 2026-10-14. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  2. Department for Education: Performance tables schools data (explore education statistics). Period 2025/26, provisional, published 2026-10-15. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  3. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2023/24, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  4. Department for Education: Key stage 4 performance 2024/25: data guidance. Period 2024/25. Archived copy; original. Licence: OGL-3.0.
    Quote
    It is not possible to calculate Progress 8 for academic years 2024/25 and 2025/26 due to gaps in the baseline caused by COVID-19 disruption.
  5. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  6. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  7. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  8. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2012/13, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  9. Department for Education: A level and other 16 to 18 results 2020/21. Period 2020/21. Archived copy; original. Licence: OGL-3.0.
    Quote
    Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer exam series was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021, and alternative processes were set up to award grades.
  10. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  11. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  12. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2020/21, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  13. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2019/20, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  14. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  15. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  16. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  17. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2020/21, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  18. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2019/20, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  19. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  20. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 progression to higher education. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  21. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 progression to higher education. Period 2019/20, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  22. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 progression to higher education. Period 2020/21, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  23. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 progression to higher education. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  24. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 progression to higher education. Period 2017/18, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  25. Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2024/25. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  26. Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2019/20. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  27. Department for Education: Primary and secondary school applications and offers: school level. Period Entry Sept 2026, final, published 2026-06-29. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  28. tgs.kent.sch.uk: tgs.kent.sch.uk document (PDF). Period 2026-10-14. Licence: copyright-quoted.
    Quotes (5)
    The National Closing Date for the Secondary Common Application Form (SCAF) is Monday 2 November 2026. (p. 1)
    girls who live in and pay council tax to Tonbridge and Malling Borough, Tunbridge Wells Borough and Sevenoaks District council areas (Area places) (p. 1)
    We will offer 30 places to the Trustee list. (p. 1)
    Our Published Admission Number (PAN) for September 2027 is 180. (p. 1)
    through the Kent PESE 11+ Test (p. 1)
  29. kent.gov.uk: kent.gov.uk — Tonbridge Grammar School admissions criteria 2027-2028 (PDF). Period 2026-10-14. Licence: OGL-3.0.
    Quotes (2)
    resident outside any of the following three local council areas for Council Tax purposes - Tonbridge & Malling Borough, Tunbridge Wells Borough and Sevenoaks District (p. 2)
    The Published Admission Number (PAN) is 180. (p. 1)
  30. Office for National Statistics: Parish to Ward to Local Authority District (May 2026) Lookup in EW. Period 2026-05-01. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  31. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: School census. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  32. Department for Education: Schools, pupils and their characteristics: school level underlying data. Period 2025/26, published 2026-06-04. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  33. files.ofsted.gov.uk: files.ofsted.gov.uk document. Period 2026-10-14. Licence: OGL-3.0.
    Quotes (12)
    Relationships across the school are strong (p. 1)
    'cares about the students as whole individuals' (p. 1)
    Pupils achieve exceptionally well in this school, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) (p. 1)
    Ongoing well-being and mental health support ensures that pupils not only feel supported in school, but also develop a toolkit of strategies to help support them beyond the classroom (p. 2)
    Behaviour is exemplary (p. 1)
    Movement in corridors is purposeful and calm (p. 2)
    such as the Diversity and Inclusion Alliance, which celebrates the cultural diversity in the school (p. 1)
    Pupils conduct themselves well because of the culture of high expectations fostered throughout the school (p. 1)
    Here, pupils have a voice, and one that matters. They create their own societies and projects (p. 1)
    Carefully selected activities foster a sense of achievement in pupils and an increasing independence (p. 2)
    engenders pupils who are 'freethinkers who have confidence' (p. 1)
    The school supports pupils with SEND especially well (p. 2)