Through our experience, we have adopted six key operational principles that underpin the achievement of our aims, and these will be regularly reviewed to confirm their continued importance.
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Tonbridge is a boys’ school. We are strongly placed as a boys’ school to help boys realise their full potential. It is clear that boys and girls develop at different rates, especially in the teenage years, and that different learning styles are associated with boys and with girls. Our focus on boys differentiates us from the majority of the local alternative schools, and appeals to parents and boys who value the benefits of single-sex education.
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Tonbridge operates as, and has the ethos of, a boarding school. We believe that only in a boarding environment can a genuinely broad education be offered which is to the benefit of day boys as well as boarders. There are also strong practical arguments: boarding not only extends our catchment, attracting more pupils, and reinforcing our national and international standing, but also provides an extended structure to the day, allowing more time for co-curricular activities and academic extension.
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Tonbridge has approximately 780 pupils. At 780, the school is approaching its capacity in terms of its DCSF maximum of 790, classroom space and academic facilities (e.g. the CLT), pastoral accommodation and communal facilities (including houses), and the Chapel where all boys meet together (providing a valuable “heart” to the School that many other schools do not have).
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Tonbridge has approximately 60% boarders. We aim to have more boarders than day boys to retain our position: operating as, and with the ethos of, a boarding school. We do have a significant percentage of day boys who benefit from the broad education offered in a boarding environment, so they do not feel in a minority, and they also provide a welcome addition to the breadth of pupils and “creative mix” in the school with different experiences and backgrounds.
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Tonbridge has a strong house structure. The house is at the heart of pastoral care, generating the small group identity that strengthens a sense of security and well-being. This environment enables all boys to contribute meaningfully to house as well as school activities, helps provide a stronger student voice in the School, and builds a greater sense of belonging.
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Tonbridge values creativity and innovation. We believe that future leaders need more than knowledge and understanding: they need the confidence and capability to make a difference that will be founded on the experiences they have at the School that encourage them to try out new things, and develop the experience of learning; to work with, and influence others; to experience failure, and learn from it; and to discover their inner motivation (what drives them).