FROM APPLICATION TO ENTRY
TONBRIDGE ONLY CONNECT
The Admissions Process
ENTRY PROCEDURE
We encourage all families considering Tonbridge to begin their journey by arranging a visit and registering with us while their son is in Year 5, or aged ten. Seeing the school is an important step in finding out whether it is the right fit for your family, offering you the chance to experience Tonbridge in person. Discover our upcoming Admissions events and book your place at: www. tonbridge-school.co.uk/visit Once you have registered with us, initial assessments take place during the Autumn Term of Year 6.
The assessment procedure consists of three elements:
• Applicants are required to complete the ISEB Pre-test by 1 December of Year 6 (either in their own school or at Tonbridge).
• Applicants are invited to attend an Assessment Afternoon at Tonbridge during the Autumn Term. This visit may take place either before or after the ISEB Pre-Test has been taken.
• Tonbridge also requests a confidential report on each applicant from their current school.
Following these steps, in January of Year 6, applicants receive one of the following:
• An Unconditional Offer of a place (subject to a satisfactory final report from their current school in Year 8).
• A Provisional Offer, inviting them to sit a further competitive assessment, which will take place at Tonbridge in the Spring of Year 7.
• No offer, if we judge a candidate to be less well-suited to Tonbridge.
For those who register after the given deadline in Year 6, there is an opportunity to gain entry through our Late Applicant Exams which take place in November of Year 8
Whilst we will continue to support Common Entrance for boys who have been prepared for this exam, passing is no longer a condition of entry.
SCHOLARSHIPS AND BURSARIES
Tonbridge is committed to widening access to the education we provide. We offer an extensive range of scholarships, all of which provide access to means-tested bursaries* of up to 100% fee remission. Means-tested support is referred to as a Foundation Award.
Foundation Awards fall into three broad categories:
Junior Foundation Scholarships
(awarded in Year 6 for entry to Tonbridge in Year 9). These are means-tested awards for bright and talented boys in need of bursarial support in order to attend Tonbridge. For further information please contact: ros.griffiths@tonbridge-school.org
Further details of all of our scholarship and bursary provision can be found on our website.
Music, Sport, Drama, Art, and Design, Technology and Engineering Scholarships
Assessments for these take place in Year 8. Any boy in receipt of an Unconditional Offer may apply for one or more of these scholarships.
The Academic Scholarship
Assessment takes place at the start of the Summer Term in Year 8. Any boy in receipt of an Unconditional Offer may apply.
TIMELINE FOR ENTRY INTO YEAR 9
Year 5 (aged 10+)
January - September
Year 6 (aged 11+)
September - December
Applicants should register with us in order to be included in the initial assessment process.
Applicants should complete the ISEB Pre-test by 1 December. Boys will be invited to Tonbridge for an Assessment Afternoon. Tonbridge will request reports from applicants’ current schools.
January
Unconditional Offers are made to the strongest candidates. Provisional Offers are made to those who will subsequently be required to sit exams in the spring of Year 7.
February - March
Year 7 (aged 12+)
January
March
April
July onwards
Year 8 (aged 13+)
November
February
March
April
Junior Foundation Scholarship assessment. Those who have accepted Unconditional Offers may express a House preference.
Deadline for accepting Unconditional Offers made in January of Year 6.
Entrance Exams at Tonbridge for those holding Provisional Offers.
Unconditional Offers made to successful candidates in the Provisional Exams.
Waiting List places offered to others, leading to Unconditional Offers if and when places become available.
Entry exam for Late Entry candidates.
Music, Cowdrey (Sport), Art, Drama and DTE Scholarship Assessments.
Novi Visit: An opportunity for prospective pupils to spend two days at the school to familiarise themselves with Tonbridge in advance of joining in September.
Academic Scholarship Exams.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How many pupils do you accept at 13+?
Around 155 new boys join Tonbridge each year.
What is the split between boarders and day?
We are about 60% boarding and 40% day. We have seven boarding houses and five day houses.
My son is in Year 5 and has registered. When will he visit Tonbridge for an Assessment Afternoon and when can we expect to hear the results? Boys in prep schools usually sit the ISEB Pre-test during the Autumn Term of Year 6 at their current school. They will also be invited to an Assessment Afternoon at Tonbridge. This may be before or after they have sat the ISEB Pre-test. Results are issued in January of Year 6.
Boys at schools that don’t offer supervision of the ISEB Pre-test are invited to sit the test at Tonbridge in early November. Their Assessment Afternoon will take place on the same day. Results are issued in January of Year 6 (as with prep school candidates).
If my son receives a Year 6 Unconditional Offer for entry in Year 9, when do we need to accept this by?
Unconditional Offers made to boys in Year 6 (during January) must be accepted by early January in Year 7 by completion of the Final Entry Form, Acceptance Form and payment of the Admission Fee. However, if a family wishes to be given priority in the allocation of House places, they should submit their House preferences by mid-March in Year 6.
Is it essential to visit Houses?
Visiting Houses is a great way of getting to know Tonbridge School but it is not essential. If you are happy for Tonbridge to allocate your son a House, please indicate this on the form.
Is it correct that House preferences can only be sent in once an Unconditional Offer has been accepted?
Yes, once an Unconditional Offer is made, be it in Year 6, Year 7 or Year 8, and once a decision is made as to whether your son will be a boarder or a day boy, then a first, second and third preference House may be identified. Having said that, we encourage parents to avoid placing excessive emphasis on the House which their son might join, as all our Houses are excellent!
If my son receives a Year 6 Provisional Offer for entry in Year 9, by when will we need to accept this? Provisional Offers which are made to boys in Year 6 (during January) must be accepted by a given date, by return of the appropriate form. We will automatically write to all candidates who have accepted a Provisional Offer with full details of the exams to be taken in the spring of Year 7.
If my son receives an Unconditional Offer after the provisional entry exams in Year 7, when will we need to accept this by?
Those with Provisional Offers will sit the Entrance Exams in the spring of Year 7. These places must be accepted by a given date so that any remaining places may be offered to others.
My son is a Late Applicant and will therefore sit the Late Entry exams. What are the timescales for these?
The Late Entry Exams are sat in early November during Year 8 with results issued by early December. Places must be accepted by the given date so that Waiting List candidates can be offered any remaining places.
Do you still expect UK prep school candidates to sit Common Entrance?
We are very supportive of prep schools continuing to follow Common Entrance but it is no longer an entry requirement for Tonbridge. There is no expectation that boys will take it.
Can candidates who do not attend UK prep schools take part in the Academic Scholarship process? Any candidate who has an Unconditional Offer of a place may take the Academic Scholarship, which will be sat at Tonbridge over a three-day period early in the Summer Term of Year 8.
Tonbridge School High Street
Tonbridge
Kent TN9 1JP
+44 (0)1732 304297
admissions@tonbridge-school.org
TONBRIDGE-SCHOOL.CO.UK
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Tonbridge School is a registered charity No. 1097977
The information contained in the brochure is accurate at the time of going to press
