Key Facts
| School type | State grammar (academy), girls 11 to 16, coeducational sixth form, two campuses (Tonbridge and Sevenoaks) |
|---|---|
| Location | Tonbridge, Kent |
| Entry points | 11+ (Year 7); in-year entry to Years 8, 9 and 10 by application; 16+ (Sixth Form, coeducational) |
| Assessment | Either the Kent Test (English/maths paper, verbal and non-verbal reasoning paper, unscored writing task) or the school's own Weald Grammar Assessment (English and verbal reasoning paper, maths and non-verbal reasoning paper), weighted equally |
| Test provider | Kent Test administered by Kent County Council; Weald Grammar Assessment set, run and marked by the school itself; GL Assessment CAT4 tests used separately for in-year entry to Years 8 to 10 |
| Registration deadline | Weald Grammar Assessment registration opens 1 June 2026 (9:00am) and closes 10 July 2026 (4:00pm), with late registration in exceptional circumstances only up to 21 July 2026. The Secondary Common Application Form (naming the school) is due by 31 October 2026, the same deadline as the Pupil Premium Supplementary Information Form. |
| Assessment date | Weald Grammar Assessment: Saturday 12 September 2026 (the Saturday following the Kent Test), Tonbridge Campus. Kent Test date for this round not stated on the pages reviewed; Kent Test results due 15 October 2026. |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly.
A child gains a place at Weald of Kent Grammar School at 11+ by meeting the required standard in either the Kent Test (known formally as PESE) or the school's own Weald Grammar Assessment, then naming the school on the Kent secondary transfer application form. Both routes are treated as equal alternatives for admissions purposes; passing one is enough, and passing both brings no additional advantage.
Meeting the standard in either assessment does not itself guarantee entry, since the school is usually oversubscribed and allocates its Published Admission Number of places using a set order of priority criteria, with distance to the Tonbridge campus typically deciding places once higher categories are filled. Parents still need to complete Kent County Council's Secondary Common Application Form and rank Weald of Kent among their preferences, whichever assessment route their daughter takes.
How entry works at 11+
Weald of Kent Grammar School admits girls into Year 7 through either of two equally weighted routes: the Kent Test administered countywide by Kent County Council, or the school's own Weald Grammar Assessment, sat directly with the school. Neither route has precedence over the other, and once a child is deemed grammar-assessed through either one, the same oversubscription criteria apply to everyone.
The Published Admission Number for Year 7 is 270 girls, split across the school's Tonbridge and Sevenoaks campuses; the split between the two campuses is decided internally each year and is not fixed in the admissions policy. The school also takes limited in-year applications into Years 8 to 10, and runs a coeducational sixth form with its own academic entry requirements.
How the Kent Test is structured
The Kent Test consists of two multiple-choice papers marked by computer from a separate answer sheet, plus an unmarked writing exercise. The first paper covers English and maths in a single one-hour sitting, split into two sections each with a short unmarked practice exercise followed by a 25-minute test; the English section includes a comprehension exercise alongside further literacy questions.
The second paper is a reasoning test lasting around an hour, made up of a verbal reasoning section and a non-verbal reasoning section of roughly equal length, with the non-verbal element split into short, individually timed sections. A separate 40-minute writing task, including 10 minutes of planning time, sits outside the main score and can be drawn on by a headteacher panel during the assessment process.
Children get three standardised scores, one each for English, maths and reasoning, combined into a total aggregate score; the exact pass threshold is not fixed in advance and varies from year to year based on how the cohort performs.
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Enquire about this tutorHow the Weald Grammar Assessment differs
The Weald Grammar Assessment is the school's own alternative to the Kent Test, sat at the Tonbridge Campus on the Saturday following the Kent Test. It comprises two papers: an English paper combined with verbal reasoning, and a maths paper combined with non-verbal reasoning, with content set to the National Curriculum up to the end of Year 5 and nothing tested beyond it.
Registration for this assessment is made directly with the school, separately from Kent Test registration through Kent County Council; parents wanting this route need to register with the school specifically, alongside or independently of registering their daughter for the Kent Test. Results are emailed to parents on the same timetable as Kent Test results.
The pass standard is set with reference to local performance and is intended to correspond to roughly the top 25% of the age group nationally, in line with the Kent Test standard. Passing the Weald Grammar Assessment alone, like passing the Kent Test alone, does not itself count as an application for a school place.
Registering and applying, step by step
The process runs in a fixed sequence regardless of which assessment route a family chooses. Parents register their daughter for the Kent Test through Kent County Council and, if they also want the school's own route, register separately and directly with Weald of Kent for the Weald Grammar Assessment.
After the relevant assessment or assessments are sat in the autumn term of Year 5, results are issued by Kent County Council (for the Kent Test) or by the school (for the Weald Grammar Assessment), on broadly the same timetable. Parents then complete the Secondary Common Application Form, naming Weald of Kent among up to four preferences in ranked order; a Supplementary Information Form is also needed if applying under the Pupil Premium priority category. Kent County Council then issues a single offer on National Offer Day, based on the highest-ranked preference for which the child is eligible, and parents confirm acceptance by the deadline the council sets.
- Register for the Kent Test with Kent County Council, and separately with the school for the Weald Grammar Assessment if wanted
- Sit the chosen assessment or assessments in the autumn term of Year 5
- Receive results by email or post
- Complete the Secondary Common Application Form, naming Weald of Kent and ranking preferences
- Submit a Supplementary Information Form only if applying for a Pupil Premium priority place
- Receive a single offer from Kent County Council on National Offer Day
- Confirm acceptance of any offer by the published deadline
How places are allocated when oversubscribed
The school is usually oversubscribed, so being assessed as grammar-suitable is only the first step; places are then allocated using a fixed order of priority. This runs from looked-after and previously looked-after children first, then a set number of Pupil Premium places (allocated by distance among eligible applicants who have passed), then children with a sibling already at the school, then health and special access cases, then children of permanent staff, and finally by straight-line distance from home to the Tonbridge campus for all remaining places.
The distance measurement is taken by Kent County Council using the National Land and Property Gazetteer address point for a child's permanent home, compared to a fixed reference point at the Tonbridge campus. The current policy does not define separate catchment postcodes; once the higher-priority categories are filled, remaining places go by whoever lives closest.
Appeals and waiting lists
There is no right of appeal against a Kent Test or Weald Grammar Assessment result itself. However, provided the school was named on the Secondary Common Application Form, parents whose daughter is not offered a place can appeal to an independent appeal panel after National Offer Day, and can ask to join the school's waiting list.
The waiting list is held by Kent County Council between the first and second offer days, then by the school's own admissions team, and is re-ranked using the same oversubscription criteria each time a child is added, irrespective of application date. Families who did not name the school on their original application can only be considered after reallocation offers have been made, so parents who might want a place are advised to name the school from the outset.
Preparing for the assessments
Because either assessment can lead to a place, and both are set to a similar standard, preparation for one route supports the other: the Kent Test's English, maths and reasoning content overlaps closely with the Weald Grammar Assessment's English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning papers, and neither tests material beyond the Year 5 National Curriculum. Kent County Council publishes a familiarisation paper and further familiarisation materials so children know the format and timing before test day, which tends to matter more for a multiple-choice, timed paper than raw subject knowledge alone.
Children with a visual impairment or other special educational needs should be discussed with their current school's SENCO well ahead of registration, since access arrangements need to be requested in advance of the assessment date. Families considering the Weald Grammar Assessment as well as the Kent Test should register for both separately and early, given the two routes run on different registration systems and, in the school's own words, taking one authority's test is not treated as a reason to miss the other.
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Preparing for the Weald of Kent Grammar School 11+ with Taylor Tuition
Preparation for the Weald of Kent Grammar School 11+ tends to go best when it starts early and stays steady, and most families who work with us begin between twelve and eighteen months out. Our tutors, who have prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, plan the work backwards from the school's own assessment format and registration deadline.
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Frequently asked questions
- Do you have to pass the Kent Test to get into Weald of Kent Grammar School?
- No. A place can be earned either by passing the Kent Test (PESE) or by passing the school's own Weald Grammar Assessment. The two routes are treated as equal and alternative; neither carries precedence, and passing both gives no extra priority.
- How many places does Weald of Kent Grammar School offer at 11+?
- The school's Published Admission Number (PAN) for Year 7 is 270 girls, allocated across its Tonbridge and Sevenoaks campuses. The school is usually oversubscribed, so meeting the required standard in either assessment does not guarantee a place.
- How do results in the Weald Grammar Assessment or Kent Test affect the chances of being offered a place?
- No. Being assessed as grammar-suitable through either route only makes a child eligible; places are then allocated using the school's published oversubscription criteria if applications exceed the PAN. Parents must also name the school on their Secondary Common Application Form.
- What happens if my daughter doesn't pass the Kent Test?
- There is no appeal against the test result itself. However, provided the school was named on the Secondary Common Application Form, parents may still appeal to an independent appeal panel for a place after National Offer Day.
- Do you accept applications from outside Kent?
- Yes, including children of UK service personnel and Crown servants returning to the UK. Families living outside Kent should be aware that distance-based oversubscription criteria mean they may be less likely to receive a place in the first round of offers.
- What does the Weald Grammar Assessment actually test?
- It covers English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, set to the National Curriculum up to the end of Year 5 with nothing tested beyond that. It takes place at the Tonbridge Campus on the Saturday following the Kent Test and is marked to a standard aligned with the Kent Test.
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