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The New Beacon

Tonbridge School and The New Beacon Preparatory School merged with effect from 31 August 2021. 

The New Beacon Prep School, in Sevenoaks, approximately seven miles from Tonbridge, is a leading independent day and boarding prep school for boys aged 4 to 13. It currently has 325 pupils, including a nursery for boys and girls.

The two Governing Bodies work closely together to ensure that both schools are aligned in terms of overall strategy. Each, however, retains its own teaching and support staff, its leadership and management teams, and its uniform and site.

James Priory, Headmaster of Tonbridge, said: “The merger provides a valuable opportunity for us to combine our experience and expertise to provide an educational pathway for boys, from the ages of three to 18. We have a shared ethos, and believe that the merger brings considerable benefits to both schools while respecting our separate identities.

“Tonbridge is a determinedly selective school. While we welcome some 20 boys from the New Beacon every year, our rigorous recruitment process remains the same for New Beacon applicants as it does for boys from every other prep school, all of whom we continue to welcome and support.”

The New Beacon is now part of the group of schools overseen by the Skinners’ Company, one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of London and a major not-for-profit organisation which supports eight schools, including Tonbridge.

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Vision and Ethos

Tonbridge School aims to provide a caring and enlightened environment in which the talents of each individual flourish.