Contents
Thinking about applying to The Skinners' School? Find out everything you need to know about admissions and how to prepare your child for success in the Kent Test.
Key information for The Skinners' School
Address: The Skinners' School, St John's Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 9PG
Number of pupils: approx 1,100
Admissions contact: [email protected]
Number of places in Year 7: 160
11+ exam: Kent Test
Catchment area: yes
Dates for your diary
Monday 3rd June 2024: Kent Test registration opens
Monday 1st July 2024: Kent Test registration closes
Monday 2nd September 2024: Kent County Council opens secondary school applications
Thursday 12th September 2024: Kent Test date for children in Kent primary schools
Saturday 14th – Sunday 15th September 2024: Kent Test date for children not in Kent primary schools
Thursday 17th October 2024: Kent Test results sent to parents
Thursday 31st October 2024: secondary school common application deadline
Monday 3rd March 2025: national school offers day
About The Skinners' School
The Skinners' School, established in 1887, is a high-performing boys' grammar school located in Tunbridge Wells. Skinners' works to help all its students excel academically and become independent learners. The school is rated Good in most categories by Ofsted (and Outstanding for personal development).
Skinners' boys excel in music, science, sports, rugby, drama, and business. They got a new sports hall in 2012, costing £2.7 million. Then, in 2020, they opened The Mitchell Building, which has the English Department, Library, and Sixth Form Study Centre.
How to apply to The Skinners' School
The Skinners' School is a selective school. This means that your child will need to take the 11 plus exam to be eligible for a place. In Kent, the 11 plus is known as the Kent Test.
Registration for the 2024 Kent Test opens in early June 2024 and closes in early July 2024. The exam will take place in September 2024 and you’ll receive your child’s results in mid-October. You can then use these results to decide whether to apply for a place at The Skinners' School.
To apply, you’ll need to name the school as one of your preferred schools on the secondary school common application form. This will be available on your home council website from early September and must be submitted by Thursday 31st October 2024.
Remember – passing the 11 plus doesn’t guarantee that your child will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Many grammar schools are often oversubscribed with qualified children. Schools and their admissions authorities work through admissions criteria to prioritise children for places. We’ve included the admissions criteria for The Skinners' School below.
What subjects are on the Kent Test?
Children applying to The Skinners' School take the Kent Test. This consists of two multiple-choice papers which are supplied by GL Assessment.
One paper lasts one hour and assesses English and maths. These questions are based on the Key Stage 2 national curriculum.
The other paper lasts one hour and tests verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and spatial reasoning. These subjects are not taught at school, so your child might be unfamiliar with these styles of questions.
Guide to the Kent Test
Find out everything you need to know in our complete guide to the Kent Test. Plus, get access to free 11 plus resources to help your child feel confident for their exam!
How does place allocation work at The Skinners' School?
Your child will get three standardised scores in the Kent Test – one each for English, maths and reasoning. They will also get one total (aggregate) score. Children need a total score of 332 or higher and no single score lower than 107 to qualify for a place at a Kent grammar school.
If more than 160 children applying to The Skinners' School achieve these scores, the school applies oversubscription criteria. Boys who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) naming the school and meet the entry requirements are first offered a place. Children are then prioritised for places in the following order:
Oversubscription Criteria
Looked-After or previously Looked-After Children, and children who have been in state care outside of England.
Up to 14 places for children who live in the 'West Kent Area' (see below) and are eligible for Pupil Premium (registered for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years). If there are more than 14 valid applications in this category, they are prioritised by their total score in the Kent Test.
Up to 112 places for other children who live in the West Kent Area, prioritised in this order: A. children scoring at least 40 points above the pass mark. B. Other children assessed as suitable for grammar school. Within both categories A and B, children are prioritised if they have a sibling at the school, a parent working at the school, or live closest to the school.
Up to 14 places for children who scored highest in the Kent Test but would not otherwise be offered a place.
Up to 20 places are offered to children in the 'Outer Area', including up to 2 who are eligible for Pupil Premium.
The Skinners' School catchment area
The West Kent Area named in the school's admissions criteria covers the area within three miles of the school measured in a straight line, plus these parishes:
Badgers Mount, Bidborough, Brasted, Brenchley, Capel, Chevening, Chiddingstone, Cowden, Dunton Green, Edenbridge, Goudhurst, Hadlow, Halstead, Hever, Hildenborough, Horsmonden, Ightham, Kemsing, Knockholt, Lamberhurst, Leigh, Otford, Paddock Wood, Pembury, Penshurst, Plaxtol, Riverhead, Rusthall, Seal, Sevenoaks, Sevenoaks Weald, Shipbourne, Shoreham, Southborough, Speldhurst, Sundridge with Ide Hill, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, and Westerham.
The Outer Area is defined as being outside the West Kent Area described above, but within the mainland of the United Kingdom.
Atom’s top tips for Kent Test preparation
The Kent Test is designed to select local children working at the top ability range in their year group. Here are our top tips to help you and your child feel confident for exam day!
Bitesize learning
It’s important to build a good knowledge base before the Kent Test. Using a ‘little and often’ approach when learning is key – our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. For children aged 10–11, child psychologists recommend regular study sessions of 20–30 minutes.
Atom Home makes learning a more enjoyable process for your child. They'll explore exciting worlds full of interactive questions, earning coins to spend in the Atom shop. Atom adapts to your child, showing them questions at just the right level of difficulty to keep them motivated.
Read widely
In the Kent Test, your child will need to analyse and interpret written information. Regular reading is a great way to build these skills.
Encourage them to read books from different genres and by a diverse range of authors. Increasing the variety of your child’s reading will help them understand different styles, tones and purposes. Meanwhile, reading a little every day will help widen their vocabulary, sharpen their analytical thinking, and enhance their imagination.
Refine exam technique
When your child feels confident with the topics they’ve learnt in Year 5, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test.
Practice tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and build confidence working under test conditions. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning and highlight knowledge gaps for further improvement.
With Atom Home, you'll unlock online mock tests and printable practice papers. Enjoy automatic marking and progress tracking with the online tests, and help your child get familiar with the real exam experience with printable practice papers.
Celebrate progress
Setting regular, achievable goals and celebrating your child’s progress – no matter how big or small – will help keep their motivation high.
Make sure to encourage a growth mindset. This means celebrating effort, as well as achievement! When your child makes mistakes or struggles to understand a particular topic, help them understand that they’ll improve through practice. Regular praise will help your child improve their resilience when tackling new and challenging topics.
Tailored preparation for the Kent Test
Wish you could give your child a roadmap to success in the Kent Test? You can. Atom Home has everything you need to get prepared, in one package.
You don't need a tutor to get into your top-choice grammar school. You just need Atom. We’ll create a tailored plan for your child and support them along their fun revision journey.
Online and printable Kent Test practice papers
90,000+ adaptive questions
500+ hours of on-demand video lessons
Automatic marking and instant progress data
Navigate the Kent Test with confidence.
Start your free trial today. Our local admissions specialists will get to work on your child’s plan. Relax, Kent Test prep is sorted.
Contents