Cranbrook School 11+ Exam

Key information about Cranbrook School

Cranbrook Grammar School is a highly selective grammar school in Kent.

Cranbrook School uses the Kent Test (Kent PESE) for Year 7 admission. There is no separate Cranbrook entrance examination for normal Year 7 entry.

Passing the Kent Test does not guarantee a place. If more eligible children apply than there are places available, Cranbrook School uses its published oversubscription criteria to determine which applicants are offered places.

Cranbrook School at a glance

School: Cranbrook School

Address: Waterloo Road, Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 3JD

Entry Age: 11+/ Year 7 and 13+/Year 9

School Website: www.cranbrookschool.co.uk

Gender: Mixed

Number of pupils: 872

Year 7 Places: 90

Admissions: Selective

Kent Test Date: 10 September 2026 (Kent Primary Schools)

12-13 September (Non-Kent Primary Schools)

Results: 15 October 2026

Kent Test Provider: GL Assessment

About Cranbrook School

Cranbrook School is a selective co-educational grammar school in Kent. It offers day places in Year 7, with boarding available from Year 9.

Cranbrook is consistently high-performing when it comes to exam results and prides itself on teaching its pupils to be independent. The school offers an array of extracurricular activities set outside of the classroom, including a Combined Cadet Force, Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and various community initiatives.

Cranbrook’s latest full school inspection in 2026 by Ofsted gave the following judgements:

Strong Standard:

Achievement

Attendance and Behaviour

Post 16 Provision

Expected Standard:

Curriculum and Teaching

Inclusion

Leadership and Governance

Personal Development and Wellbeing

Safeguarding Standards Met

View Cranbrook School's Ofsted Report here.

Preparing for Cranbrook School 11+?

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.

Explore 11+ Tuition Services

Entry Points at Cranbrook School

Cranbrook School has several points of entry, depending on the year group. For Year 7 admission, pupils must be assessed as suitable for grammar school through the Kent Test (Kent PESE). There is no separate Cranbrook entrance test for normal Year 7 entry.

Cranbrook also admits pupils at Year 9, where a separate Cranbrook entrance assessment is used. Boarding places are available from Year 9, alongside day places.

The Kent 11+ Exam

Your child will need to develop the following skills:

English

Maths

Verbal Reasoning

Non-Verbal Reasoning

Writing Skills*

* A 40-minute writing exercise is also completed as part of the Kent Test. It is not marked and does not contribute to the final Kent Test score, but it may be considered by a local headteacher assessment panel where required.

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 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+ Grammar School Assessment Threshold

Passing the Kent Test does not guarantee a place at Cranbrook School. All applicants must first be assessed as suitable for grammar school through the Kent Test. Eligible applicants are then considered according to Cranbrook School's published oversubscription criteria, including its Priority Area.

The score required to secure a place can therefore be considerably higher than the Kent grammar-school assessment threshold. For September 2026 entry, the lowest score offered in the first round was 349. For September 2025 entry, it was 338. These figures can change from year to year depending on applications and the school's oversubscription criteria.

Kent 11+ Appeals

If your child does not reach the Kent Test grammar-school assessment threshold, their case may be considered through the local Head Teacher Assessment Panel process. The panel can consider evidence such as your child's achievement at school, examples of their work and the writing exercise completed during the Kent Test before making a decision on grammar-school suitability.

If your child is not assessed as suitable for grammar school, or a review is unsuccessful, you still have the right to appeal after school places have been allocated. Appeals are heard by an Independent Appeals Panel.

Still unsure about next steps?

Our 11+ admissions consultations help parents think through school choice, entrance pathways and preparation priorities before committing to preparation.

Find out more about our 11+ Admissions Consultation

In-Year Applications at Cranbrook School

When applying for Year 7 in-year admission before 1st January, your child will be assessed using the Kent 11+.

When applying for Year 7 in-year admission after 1st January, your child will be assessed using a CAT4 test which tests: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Spatial Ability.

For candidates who have not been successful in the Kent 11+ test, the earliest opportunity an application can be made for a year 7 place is the summer term of year 7. You will be advised on the outcome of your Application within 15 school days of the test result being known.

Entry Requirements for 13+ (Year 9) at Cranbrook School

Applicants for entry into Year 9 are required to sit entrance assessments in English, Mathematics, and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

The Mathematics assessment is a 45-minute, non-calculator paper based on the Key Stage 3 curriculum. The English assessment consists of two extended writing tasks: one descriptive fiction task and one persuasive non-fiction task. The Non-Verbal Reasoning paper lasts 30 minutes and focuses primarily on logical reasoning using abstract figures.

Shortlisted candidates will also be invited to attend an interview with senior members of staff.

Boarding at Cranbrook School

Cranbrook School is one of a small number of selective, co-educational state grammar schools in the UK to offer full boarding. Boarding is available for students from Year 9 through to Year 13, welcoming pupils from across the UK and overseas.

As a state-funded school, Cranbrook charges no tuition fees. Boarding fees are VAT-exempt, making Cranbrook one of the most affordable full boarding schools in the country while maintaining high academic standards and a supportive boarding environment.

Boarding Fees for the 2025/2026 Academic Year

Boarders starting in Years 9-11 – £5,450 per term (£16,350 per annum)

Boarders starting in Years 12-13 – £6,544 per term (£19,632 per annum)

FAQs: Cranbrook School Admissions Process

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

How hard is it to gain admission to Cranbrook School?

Cranbrook 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. In short, pupils need strong test performance and, when there are more eligible applicants than places, they must also meet the school’s oversubscription criteria to secure a place.

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

No. It is likely that the number of students who passed the test will be greater than the number of places available.

What is actually tested in the entrance exam for Cranbrook 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 children are given priority for admission?

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.
Pupil Premium within the Priority Area
Children who have received free school meals within the last 6 years.
Medical Health, Social and Special Access Reasons within the Priority Area
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.
Sibling Link (Current Family Association) within the Priority Area
Children who have a sibling attending the school at the time of entry.
Child of Staff Member
Children who have a parent who fulfil a minimum of 0.5 of a full time role.
Children who live within the Priortity Area.
Children who live outside the Priority Area.

What is the Priority Area for Cranbrook School?

The priority areas include the civil parishes of Cranbrook and Sissinghurst, Goudhurst, Staplehurst, Frittendenm, Benenden, Sandhurst and Hawkhurst. Also, any other property which is within 8.5km of the school by straight line is within the priority area.

Do I have to live in Kent to apply to Cranbrook School?

No — you do not have to live in Kent to apply to Cranbrook 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 in the last 6 years, 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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