Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys
Tunbridge Wells, Kent · Boys · 11-18 (mixed sixth form)
Reviewed against the school’s own admissions policy · September 2026
Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys — a selective boys' grammar school with a mixed sixth form, across sites in Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks. Kent Test admissions.
Key facts
| Gender intake | Boys |
| Age range | 11-18 (mixed sixth form) |
| Admissions test | Kent Test |
| Year 7 places (PAN) | 300 |
| Official website | www.twgsb.org.uk/ |
The entrance test
Every applicant sits the first stage; each step below narrows to the last.
Sit the Kent Test
Be assessed as selective
Every qualifier is treated equally — score isn't used to rank
Ranked by the oversubscription criteria, then distance
Places offered
210 Tunbridge Wells, 90 Sevenoaks
Admits boys across two sites — 210 places at the Tunbridge Wells campus and 90 at Sevenoaks (opened 2021). Unusually, the actual Kent Test score is not used to rank applicants: every boy assessed as selective is treated equally, and places are then allocated by the oversubscription criteria — looked-after children, siblings and medical need first, then a 3-mile radius, then named parishes, all by distance to the Tunbridge Wells campus.
How places are decided
Priority order when the school is oversubscribed. The small categories are settled first.
- 1An EHCP naming the school
- 2Looked-after & previously looked-after boys
- 3Siblings (a brother at the school when the child starts)
- 4Health & special access reasons
- 5Within 3 miles of the Tunbridge Wells campus — by distance
- 6Named west Kent parishes — by distancemost places
- 7Everyone else — by distance
Catchment & priority area
Area-based priority
No traditional catchment. Two geographic tiers, both ranked by straight-line distance to the Tunbridge Wells campus: first a 3-mile radius, then a list of around 34 named west Kent parishes; everyone else falls into a final distance criterion. You can't choose a campus — the 90 boys living closest to the Sevenoaks site are placed there, the rest at Tunbridge Wells, with no appeal against the campus offered.
Key dates
The same timetable for every Kent grammar school. Confirm the current year with KCC.
1 June – 1 July
Register for the Kent Test with KCC
Early September
Test sat, in Year 6
15 October
Results released
1 March
National offer day
Always verify against the school’s own current admissions policy — criteria, catchment boundaries and places-available can all change between admissions cycles, and Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys’s own website is the authoritative source, not this page.
All Kent grammar schools use the same county-wide test — see the format, timeline and registration process. For the wider picture of grammar schools across England, see UK Grammar Schools: List, Competition & Results.
Common questions about Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys
Does Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys use the Kent Test score to rank applicants?
No. Every boy who reaches the qualifying standard is treated equally; places are then allocated by the oversubscription criteria — the priority area first, then straight-line distance.
What is the catchment area for Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys?
A priority area covering boys within 3 miles of the school or in a long list of named west Kent parishes. Check the school's current policy for the exact list.
Does TWGSB have a site in Sevenoaks?
Yes — of its 300 Year 7 places, 210 are at the Tunbridge Wells campus and 90 at Sevenoaks. You can't choose: the 90 boys living closest to the Sevenoaks site are placed there, and there's no appeal against the campus offered.
Is the sixth form mixed at Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys?
Yes — Years 7 to 11 are boys, and the sixth form is co-educational.
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