Borden Grammar School vs Tonbridge Grammar School Compared

Side by side

	Borden Grammar School	Tonbridge Grammar School
Phase	Secondary	Secondary
Gender	Boys	Girls
Pupils on roll	928	1,164
Free school meals	11.1%	2%
Ofsted rating	Good	Outstanding
Attainment 8 — 2024/25	63.2	77.2
A-level average points — 2024/25	34.11	Not published
11+ test board	GL Assessment	GL Assessment
Admission system	score-ranked (places allocated in score order, no fixed threshold)	score-ranked (places allocated in score order, no fixed threshold)
Places offered — 202627	123	180
First preferences per place — higher means more competition for a first-preference place	1.12	1.96

Qualifying scores

Borden Grammar School

332 out of 423 (2026 entry)

Aggregate ≥332 with no single paper below 108. County-wide Kent Test threshold: reaching it earns a 'suitable for grammar school' assessment, NOT a place — each school then applies its own oversubscription criteria, and super-selective schools (The Judd School, Skinners', Tonbridge, Dartford) fill in score order well above the threshold.

Council source ↗

Tonbridge Grammar School

332 out of 423 (2026 entry)

Aggregate ≥332 with no single paper below 108. County-wide Kent Test threshold: reaching it earns a 'suitable for grammar school' assessment, NOT a place — each school then applies its own oversubscription criteria, and super-selective schools (The Judd School, Skinners', Tonbridge, Dartford) fill in score order well above the threshold.

Council source ↗

Who gets priority

Where a school is oversubscribed, these are the first criteria applied, in order. This is usually what decides an application.

Borden Grammar School

Looked after children and previously looked after children
Children with exceptional medical/social needs, supported by professional evidence
Children living in the school's designated area or linked primary school catchment
Siblings of children on roll at the school

Source: school admissions policy.

Tonbridge Grammar School

Looked after children and previously looked after children
Children with exceptional medical/social needs, supported by professional evidence
Children living in the school's designated area or linked primary school catchment
Siblings of children on roll at the school

Source: school admissions policy.

Choosing between them

Borden Grammar School is a boys school and Tonbridge Grammar School is a girls school, so for many families the starting point is which one can admit their child. The figures on this page are the published ones — they describe intakes and results, not what either school would be like for your child. The right choice depends on your family's own priorities and circumstances.

Other Kent comparisons

All grammar school comparisons →