Year 7 Admission FAQs

Applying to TWGSB

• How many Year 7 places do you have? Our published admission number (PAN) is 300, comprising 210 places at the TW campus and 90 at Sevenoaks.

• What Kent Test (11+) score does my son need for a place at TWGSB? We accept applications from any student who is ‘grammar-assessed’ by KCC, i.e. who has passed the test with the required scores in each paper. The score threshold changes each year.

• Do you take students from outside Kent? Yes, but they might not be allocated a place during the first round of offers. We strongly urge those who live outside Kent to consider the nature of their child’s journey to school before naming us on their application form or applying to us as an In-Year Admission.

• What is the SIF that needs to be returned to you? – The Supplementary Information Form (SIF) is required only if your son is eligible for Pupil Premium. Please ensure the form and evidence (a letter from his current school or council) is sent directly to TWGSB by 31^st October.

• We have just moved to Kent and missed the testing and application process. What can I do? Please contact KCC who will advise you. Telephone 03000 412121, or email kentonlineadmissions@kent.gov.uk

• We missed your open events, can we have a private tour? Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate any tours of the school outside our published Open Events, details of which can be found on our website HERE.

• How do I make an out-of-year application for my child? Requests for admission to Year 7 outside of the normal age group should be made to the Headteacher as early as possible by emailing thegrammarschool@twgsboys.kent.sch.uk. As entry to TWGSB is through the Kent Test procedure, parents need to ensure they allow the school and KCC sufficient time to make a decision before the closing date for Kent Test registration.

• What is National Offer Day? On National Offer Day, Friday 1^st March 2024, KCC advise parents of the secondary school at which their child has been offered a place. If you have been offered a place at TWGSB, you will hear from us within a week as to which campus your son has been allocated (see below).

• What is the best way to ask a question regarding admission to TWGSB? School telephone lines are always busy. We would be very grateful if you could please direct any admissions queries by email in the first instance to admissions@twgsboys.kent.sch.uk and we will respond to your enquiry as soon as possible.

Appeals and Reallocations

• My son hasn't been offered a place at TWGSB but we still wish to be considered. What do we do? Providing you have named us on your SCAF, then you can appeal for a school place with us following National Offer Day. School appeals are co-ordinated by the admissions team at KCC and are completely independent of TWGSB. Please visit KCC's 'After you get your school offer' page find out about waiting lists and the appeals process. 

• What if my son doesn’t pass the Kent Test? There is no right of appeal against the assessment decision. However, as above, providing you have named us on your SCAF, then you can appeal for a school place with us following National Offer Day. School appeals are co-ordinated by the admissions team at KCC and are completely independent of TWGSB.
  If you did not name us on your SCAF, please follow the guidance on the KCC offer email or refer to KCC.

• What happens if my appeal is unsuccessful? If your appeal is unsuccessful then we cannot offer your son a place at TWGSB during Year 7. If you still wish to seek admission to TWGSB, then we can discuss testing him during the summer term of Year 7 with admission proposed for the start of Year 8 if he is successful.

• How do we contact KCC Admissions? Email the admissions team at kentonlineadmissions@kent.gov.uk or call 03000 412121.

• What is the Reallocation process? Following any declines from the first round offers (i.e. the initial 300 students offered a place at TWGSB), KCC will offer further places at TWGSB from their waiting list. The Reallocation takes place on 25^th April and is subject to our admissions criteria and PAN. Applicants successful in the Reallocation process are notified by email from KCC.

Campus Information

• How do you allocate students to each campus? From our initial list of 300 students offered places at TWGSB, and using distances provided by KCC, Sevenoaks places are allocated to the 90 students who live closest to the Sevenoaks campus. The remaining places will be at Tunbridge Wells. Emails informing parents of each student’s campus allocation will be sent the week after National Offer Day.

• We didn’t get our preferred campus, what can we do? Please complete the online Microsoft form sent with the campus allocation email to join a waiting list for the other campus. First-round offers (i.e. those among the initial 300 students) will be at the top of the campus waiting list, followed by reallocation offers.

• When will I find out whether my campus waiting list application has been successful? You will be notified by the end of March if you are successful initially. If you are not successful at this stage bear in mind that there is always movement on waiting lists as people’s circumstances change and it may be that a place at your preferred campus becomes available at a later stage.

• What are my chances of getting a place at the Sevenoaks campus? Please note that it is unlikely your son will be offered the Sevenoaks campus if he is a late admission or an upheld appeal. There is always movement on the lists as circumstances change but please do not apply, thinking that he will definitely get a place at Sevenoaks just because the family lives nearer to Sevenoaks than Tunbridge Wells. For 2022 admission our first-round allocations went out only as far as 2.5 miles from the Sevenoaks campus (Seal Hollow Road); for 2023 it was 4.5 miles.

• Do I have to accept a place at the Sevenoaks campus just because I live really close? No. If you are allocated the Sevenoaks campus and would prefer your son to go to Tunbridge Wells simply complete the online form sent in the campus allocation email to join the Tunbridge Wells campus waiting list. Please make sure you do this as soon as possible after receiving our campus allocation email.

EHCP and Other Additional/Special Needs

• My son has an EHCP, what do I do? The SENCO at your child’s primary school should be able to advise you of the process as this is not dealt with in the usual application window. Speak to Kent Admissions if you are unsure. TWGSB cannot help you with this until KCC contact us.

• My child doesn’t have an EHCP, but does have AEN/SEND needs. What support can you offer? Please contact our SENCO team on SEND@twgsboys.kent.sch.uk before completing the SCAF. One of the team will contact you to discuss whether we have the appropriate provision at TWGSB to support your son and his learning.

Determined Oversubscription Criteria

• What are determined oversubscription criteria? These are a series of criteria against which places are allocated in order where there are more applications than school places.

• What are the Determined Oversubscription Criteria for Entry into Year 7 for TWGSB? Places are allocated to grammar-assessed students in the following priority order:

1. Students with an EHCP
2. Looked After Children and previously Looked After Children
3. Current Family Association, i.e. a sibling already attending TWGSB when the new Year 7 starts
4. Health and Special Access Reasons
5. Children who live within a three-mile radius of the school
6. Children who live in the named parishes below*
7. Nearness of all other children's homes to school
    

(Please note this information on determined oversubscription criteria is an abbreviated version of the full document which can be found HERE, and in which pages 11–15 relate to Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys.)