Tonbridge School Vision and Ethos

Tonbridge School aims to provide a caring and enlightened environment in which the talents of each individual flourish. We encourage boys to be creative, tolerant and to strive for academic, sporting, and cultural excellence. Respect for tradition and an openness to innovation are equally valued. A well- established house system at the heart of the School fosters a strong sense of belonging.

Tonbridge seeks to celebrate its distinctive mixture of boarders and day boys; this helps to create a unique broadening and deepening of opportunity. We want boys to enjoy their time here, but also to be made aware of their social and moral responsibilities. Tonbridgians should enter into the adult world with the knowledge and self-belief to fulfil their own potential and, in many cases, to become leaders in their chosen field. Equally, we hope to foster a life-long empathy for the needs and views of others: in the words of the great novelist and Old Tonbridgian, E.M. Forster: ‘Only Connect’.

Tonbridge School aims to provide an unsurpassed education of excellence and breadth; we focus our efforts and resources on achieving this by:

The School aims to recruit, retain, and develop the best and most committed teaching and support staff to ensure that it is able to achieve its aims. We ensure that all our staffing, communication, recruitment, admissions, development, and financial activities support the School’s aims, and that, through the Tonbridge Society, the wider Tonbridge community (including parents, Old Tonbridgians, Tonbridge School Foundation, the Parents’ Arts Society, and the Skinners’ Company) helps us achieve these aims, and benefits from the School’s activities.

In summary, Tonbridge School aims to provide an excellent and broad education, to ensure that each boy fulfils his potential and is able to make a significant contribution in his chosen fields both at School and in the adult world, where many will become leaders.