High Street, Tonbridge,
Kent, TN9 1JP
Trips Overseas and Exchange Programmes
A trip to learn about life as a Zulu, a week’s expedition through the South African bush, seeing life in the Soweto slums (…) I found it an amazing experience.
Christian Haigh (HS, South African exchange)
A variety of trips overseas occur on a regular basis. All Tonbridge trips have the underlying aim of developing a wider understanding and appreciation of other cultures and customs.
Academic Trips
Languages: There are annual language trips to China, France, Germany and Spain.
Classics: An annual trip is offered, usually to Greece or Italy.
Geography: Annually there is a Lower School trip to the Ardèche. Biennially there is a trip to a more exotic location such as Borneo or Costa Rica for Sixth Form fieldwork.
History: There is an annual trip to the WW2 Battlefields.
Politics and Economics: An annual trip to either America or China is offered to those in the Sixth Form.
‘…a brief recollection of our trip does nothing to describe how vast, powerful and completely overwhelming China is. For me at least it was a country like no other I had ever been to.
Alex Pike (PH, Economics trip to China)
Exchange Programmes
The school has developed an extensive exchange programme for individual pupils involving schools in America, Australia, China, India and New Zealand. At the end of the first year with Christchurch Grammar School in Perth, Australia, Wanganui Collegiate School, New Zealand and Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa Bay, United States.
For pupils at the end of their third year or in the Lower Sixth we run exchanges with The Lawrence School in Sanawar, India and Nankai High School in Tianjin, China.
It gave me the knowledge that I could adapt to new surroundings, a different country, a different way of life. The Australians are without exception relaxed and friendly. You’d be mad not to want to do it.
Dom Blauth (Sc, Australian exchange)
Sports Tours
Sporting teams regularly compete in international tournaments. Overseas teams are welcomed to Tonbridge for competitions and recent tours overseas have included destinations such as Australia, Bermuda, Malta, India and South Africa.
There are also regular trips to Spain for diving, Sweden for football and Europe or America for skiing.
Tonbridge hosts annually an international sailing competition the BSDRA International Schools Team Racing Finals in conjunction with Sevenoaks School.
Charity and fund-raising work also forms an important part of such sports' tours, for example, sports tours have raised money for township schools in South Africa.
Finally, it is not only current pupils who can enjoy these opportunities, Old Tonbridgians frequently receive assistance with their Gap years from the Careers Department and individual members of staff. This might involve placements in schools in Africa, Argentina, Australia and Sri Lanka or placement as an assistant to a Rackets' professional in America. The school's Parents' Arts Society also organises an annual trip abroad for parents and raises considerable sums of money for charities both home and abroad.
