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Schools near Cranbrook

14 open schools in Cranbrook, Kent · Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and admission criteria · see all Kent schools · grammar schools in Cranbrook

Cranbrook has 14 state schools: 9 primary, 2 secondary, part of Kent's wider catchment. 10 have a published Ofsted rating, and 7 of those are rated Good or Outstanding. 1 is a state grammar school and sets an entrance test.

Benenden Church of England Primary School Cranbrook · Good Benenden School Cranbrook Bethany School Cranbrook Colliers Green Church of England Primary School Cranbrook · Good Cranbrook Church of England Primary School Cranbrook · Good Cranbrook School Cranbrook · Good · Grammar Frittenden Church of England Primary School Cranbrook · Not judged Goudhurst and Kilndown Church of England Primary School Cranbrook · Not judged Hawkhurst Church of England Primary School Cranbrook · Good Rolvenden Primary School Cranbrook · Good Sandhurst Primary School Cranbrook · Good Sissinghurst Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School Cranbrook · Not judged St Ronan's School Cranbrook The Dulwich School Cranbrook CRANBROOK

Undersubscribed schools rated Good or Outstanding

These schools didn't fill on first preference in the latest admissions year, despite an Ofsted rating of Good or Outstanding — worth a look if you're chasing the same handful of famous names everyone else applies to.

Cranbrook Church of England Primary School Good · ×0.77 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Rolvenden Primary School Good · ×0.86 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Hawkhurst Church of England Primary School Good · ×0.88 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Sandhurst Primary School Good · ×0.88 1st prefs/place (2026/27) Colliers Green Church of England Primary School Good · ×0.94 1st prefs/place (2026/27)

How places are allocated in Kent

Primary schools: 'Nearness of home to school' is the criterion for community/VC schools; a defined catchment area is only created ad hoc where new housing development requires a new/enlarged school — the exception, not the rule. (source)

Secondary schools: Same 'nearness' principle applies under the Secondary Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme. (source)

Most schools use the local authority's default scheme rather than a school-specific catchment map — see each school's page for its own designated/catchment area where one is published.

Kent entrance test format

The Kent Test has two multiple-choice papers, each roughly an hour long: 1. English & Maths — split into two 30-minute sections: English (reading comprehension, grammar, punctuation, vocabulary) and Maths (Key Stage 2 curriculum up to the start of Year 6). 2. Reasoning — Verbal Reasoning (vocabulary, sequences, logic, analogies) and Non-Verbal/Spatial Reasoning (shapes, rotations, matrices, pattern recognition), combined into a single reasoning score. There is also an unmarked writing task (around 40 minutes including planning time). It isn't scored directly, but may be used by a local headteacher assessment panel for borderline cases. Note: the Kent Test is NOT the same as the Medway Test — Medway is a separate authority with its own different test (separate registration, different papers). Passing one does not qualify a child for the other area's schools (except Chatham Grammar, which accepts either).

Key dates

Entry yearEventDate
Sept 2028 Application deadline 2027-10-31
Sept 2028 Primary application deadline 2028-01-15
Sept 2028 Offer day 2028-03-01
Sept 2028 Primary offer day 2028-04-17
Sept 2027 Registration opens 2026-06-01 (passed)
Sept 2027 Registration closes 2026-07-01 (passed)
Sept 2027 Test date 2026-09-10
Sept 2027 Results released 2026-10-15
Sept 2027 Application deadline 2026-10-31
Sept 2027 Primary application deadline 2027-01-15
Sept 2027 Offer day 2027-03-01
Sept 2027 Primary offer day 2027-04-16
Sept 2026 Registration opens 2025-06-02 (passed)
Sept 2026 Registration closes 2025-07-01 (passed)
Sept 2026 Test date 2025-09-11 (passed)
Sept 2026 Results released 2025-10-16 (passed)
Sept 2026 Application deadline 2025-10-31 (passed)
Sept 2026 Primary application deadline 2026-01-15 (passed)
Sept 2026 Offer day 2026-03-01 (passed)
Sept 2026 Primary offer day 2026-04-16 (passed)

Out-of-area applications

Any child in Year 5 (aged 9–10) can register to sit the Kent Test regardless of where they live. Children from East Sussex, Medway, London and other counties routinely apply to Kent grammar schools. Registration: families outside Kent register through the Kent Test portal. The registration deadline is the same as for Kent residents — typically late June or early July. See kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools for current dates. Applying for a place: apply via your home LA's Common Application Form by 31 October, listing the Kent grammar school(s) you want. Note on Medway: Medway is a separate unitary authority with its own grammar schools and its own selection test — it is NOT part of the Kent Test. To apply to Medway grammar schools you need to sit the Medway test separately. Criteria impact: Kent grammar places are allocated by test score rank — higher-scoring children get priority. There is no fixed pass mark; the top roughly 25% of the ability range qualify. Living outside Kent does not automatically disadvantage you, but some Kent grammar schools have a defined geographic priority area as a tiebreaker when scores are equal.

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