Borden Grammar School | 11+ Admissions, Exam & Advice

Borden Grammar School: Key information about the 11+ Exams

Borden Grammar School is a selective grammar school in Kent.

The entrance exam for this school is the Kent Test (11+).

Many families assume that strong performance guarantees a place. In reality, oversubscription and admissions rules mean that even well-prepared pupils can miss out, often by margins parents never realised existed.

The questions below address the issues parents most commonly misunderstand when considering this school.

FAQs: Borden Grammar School Admissions Process

How hard is it to gain admission to Borden Grammar School?

Borden Grammar School is a selective grammar school and children must pass an entrance examination to be considered for admission. In recent years the number of applicants has exceeded the number of available places. When the school is oversubscribed, over subscription criteria will apply. However, last year (2025), the number of first-choice preferences was below the number of places.

If my child passes the test, will they automatically be accepted?

No. Passing the Kent Test does not guarantee your entry to your first-choice school. Your acceptance will be based on the number of applicants and spaces available. However, in 2025, 139 students named Borden Grammar School as their first-choice preference, and there were 150 places were available. This was a 26% decrease in the number of first-choice preferences from 2024.

*https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/revealed-the-kent-schools-struggling-to-attract-pupils-afte-319173/

What is actually tested in the entrance exam for Borden Grammar School?

The Kent 11+ exam assesses English, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, and Creative Writing.

What does oversubscription to a school mean exactly?

Oversubscription means that more children apply for a school than there are places available.

When the school is oversubscribed, how does the school decide which child gets gains entrance?

Before oversubscription criteria are applied, children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that names the school will be offered a place.

If the number of applications exceeds the number of places available, places will be allocated in the following order of priority:

Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children
Children who are currently in care or who were previously in care.
Free School Meal Eligibility
Up to 15% Children who have received free school meals at any time during their KS2 schooling and reside in the postcodes: ME9, ME10, ME11 and ME12.
Sibling Link (Current Family Association)
Children who have a sibling attending the school at the time of entry.
Medical Health, Social and Special Access Reasons
Priority may be given where a child’s physical or mental health needs, or those of a parent or guardian, make attendance at this specific school essential.
Children who reside in the following areas: ME8, ME10, ME11 and ME12.
Children who reside in the following areas: ME8 snd ME13.
All other eligible children living in any other area.

Do I have to live in Kent to apply to Borden Grammar School?

No — you do not have to live in Kent to apply to Borden Grammar School.

Families living outside Kent are welcome to apply and register for the entrance assessments. However, if the school is oversubscribed, distance from home to school is one of the factors used in the oversubscription criteria, which can make it more competitive for applicants who live further away.

What is the admissions process for this school?

Register for the Kent Test (11+)
Parents must register their child for the Kent Test through Kent County Council by the published deadline.

Receive test results
You will be informed whether your child has met the grammar school standard.

Submit the Secondary Common Application Form (SCAF)
Parents must complete the SCAF through Kent County Council, ranking schools in order of preference.

Submit the Supplementary Information Form

If your child has been registered for free school meals, complete this form.

Offers are made
School places are offered on National Offer Day - If more eligible children apply than there are places, oversubscription criteria are used to decide who is offered a place.

Waiting list or appeal (if needed)
If a place is not offered, parents can choose to join the waiting list and/or submit an appeal.

My child has a learning difficulty - will the entrance exam be adjusted to meet their needs?

If your child has a disability or special educational needs which will affect their access to testing, you need to discuss this with their primary school's special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) before you register them for the test as the school will need to apply for any necessary access arrangements.

Does my child need to do 11-plus preparation prior to the exam?

It is helpful for pupils to practise the types of questions they may be asked, particularly verbal and non-verbal reasoning, as these question styles are often unfamiliar to many children. It is also beneficial to become familiar with exam techniques, such as working to time, understanding instructions and managing pressure on the day. Preparation can help identify and bridge any gaps in knowledge and support from an experienced tutor can guide pupils through all of these areas, building confidence and ensuring they are able to show their true ability in the test environment.

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More Information

Address: Borden Grammar School, Avenue of Remembrance, Sittingbourne, ME10 4DB

County: Kent

School Website: www.bordengrammar.kent.sch.uk

School Type: Boys

Number of pupils: 826

Number of Places in Year 7: 150

Open Day Date: Contact school

Exam Date: September

Exam Board Type: GL

About Borden Grammar School

Information about the defining features about this school and Ofsted report

Established in 1878, Borden Grammar School, is a selective Boy’s Grammar located in Sittingbourne, in Kent. The school educates pupils aged between 11 and 18 and has academy status. Although a boy’s grammar, the school does admit girls into its sixth form.

In 2006, Borden was awarded specialist school status in Sports and Modern Foreign Languages. As a result, the school received an increase in funding, which led to the development of a new library, a multi-use games area and a new private study area. The school also received a sports bursary in 2011, which was used to build a climbing wall in the gym.

In 2021, Borden Grammar School was judged 'Good' by Ofsted.

How to Prepare for the Kent 11+ Exam

Your child will need to develop the following skills:

English

Maths

Verbal Reasoning

Non-Verbal Reasoning

Creative Writing

Looking for Extra support?

Preparing for the 11+ can feel overwhelming, especially with different exam formats and timelines to consider. If you’d like structured guidance and personalised support, you can find out more about our 11+ tuition services using the link below.

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Kent 11+ Exam Format

The tests are multiple-choice with a separate answer sheet. They are marked by an automated marking machine.

The first test will be an English and maths paper and will take 1 hour. Each section will involve a 5-minute practice exercise followed by a 25-minute test. The English section will involve a comprehension exercise as well as some additional questions drawn from a set designed to test literacy skills.

The second test will be a reasoning paper. It will take about 1 hour, including the practice sections and questions. It will contain a verbal reasoning section and a non-verbal reasoning section of roughly the same length. The non-verbal reasoning will be split into short sections, administered and timed individually.

There will also be a writing exercise which will not be marked but may be used by a local headteacher panel as part of the headteacher assessment stage of the process. 40 minutes will be allowed for the writing task, including 10 minutes planning time.

Kent 11+ Familiarisation Paper

This document explains the Kent Test papers for children who will take them.

Familiarisation Paper

Kent 11+ Application Process

In the first instance, parents must register their child to sit the Kent Test, which can be done online via Kent County Council. Once students have taken the test in September, parents will receive their results in October and must then submit their Secondary School Common Application Form (SCAF) via the Kent local authority website.

Kent 11+ Standardised Scores

Your child will get 3 standardised scores, one for English, one for maths and one for reasoning, and a total (aggregate) score.

Standardisation is a statistical process which compares your child's performance with the average performance of other children in each test. A slight adjustment is made to take account of each child's age so that the youngest are not at a disadvantage.

The grammar school threshold for the test will not be published until the results have been sent out.

In order to calculate a standardised score the company producing and marking the tests will create a reference table – called a “look-up table” – for each test paper that is written, and the table is specific to that test paper, because it takes account of the difficulty of the paper. The minimum standardised score is derived from the look-up table and the actual number will vary depending on the average score of all those taking the test and the number of applicants.

Below is an example look-up table. The vertical axis is the “raw score”, i.e. the number (percentage) of actual questions that a child gets right on a paper. The horizontal axis represents the age of the child at the time of taking the exam, shown as years + months.

Kent 11+ Pass Mark

In 2025, children needed a total score of 332 or more, with no single score lower than 108 to be allocated a place at a Kent grammar school. Test scores ranged from 68 to 141. The highest possible total score is 423.

Kent 11+ Appeals

If your child did not reach the threshold score and their primary school referred their case to the local Head Teacher Assessment Panel, the panel will have looked at their achievement in school and examples of their work, including the writing task completed on the day, before a final decision was made.

If your child does not qualify, the Head does not seek a review or if the review is unsuccessful, you still have the right to have your child’s case heard by an Independent Appeals Panel. You are only able to appeal a decision after school allocations have been sent out to parents in March.

In-Year Admissions at Borden Grammar School

For in-year admissions, applications will only be considered if a place is available in the relevant year group. Parents can apply using the In-Year Application Form, which is available from the school office or the school website.

If a place is available, the school will assess whether the pupil is suitable for a grammar school education. This assessment may include nationally recognised tests, verbal and non-verbal reasoning assessments, and written tests in subjects such as English, Mathematics, or Science, as well as a review of the child’s work and attainment at their current school.

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