Families are encouraged to apply for their son by 1 September in Year 6 to secure an assessment in the Michaelmas Term. Applications received after 1 September will be advised of the assessment route on application.
Please contact: admissions@tonbridge-school.org if you have any questions.
Applicants from Mainland China & Hong Kong
Year 9 (13+) entry
- 1 Visit us
- 2 Registration
- 3 Assessment
- 4 Results
- 5 Accepting your place
- 6 Scholarships
Visit us
We recommend visiting the School when your son is in Year 5, or earlier if you wish. Our open events will enable you to hear from the Headmaster, meet teaching staff and our admissions team. You will also be taken on a tour of the School by pupils who can share their experience of Tonbridge. Dates for upcoming open events can be found here.
Registration
In Year 6, the next step is to complete the online Registration Form and to pay the non-refundable registration fee of £350 (inclusive of VAT). The deadline for registrations to be guaranteed an assessment is 1 September.
Those who apply after 1 September will be advised of the assessment timeline upon receipt of their application. Please contact admissions@tonbridge-school.org if you have any questions.
Assessment
Boys applying in Year 6 are required to sit the ISEB Pre-Test. Parents are responsible for registering their son with the ISEB.
Boys who are registered with us by 1 September will be invited to an assessment afternoon in the Michaelmas Term. Those who register after this date will have their timeline confirmed to them after registration.
The assessment afternoon comprises a carousel of activities which provide opportunities to work individually, as well as collaboratively, in addition to a one-to-one interview with a member of our teaching staff.
The School will also request a confidential school reference from your son’s current school.
Results
For those assessed in the Michaelmas Term, results will be confirmed by late January, when boys will receive one of three outcomes: an unconditional offer, a place on the wait list, or no offer.
Unconditional offer
An unconditional offer is awarded to boys with the strongest profiles. The offer is dependent on boys staying at their current school in Years 7 and 8. If a boy needs to move school at the end of Year 6, or during Years 7 or 8, the offer status must be discussed and agreed with us in advance.
We reserve the right to seek a further reference from the current school, and if necessary, withdraw an offer in the event of serious concerns.
Provisional offer
A provisional offer is awarded to boys whose assessment results indicate potential suitability for Tonbridge, but who may require more time to demonstrate this before an unconditional offer can be made.
Boys who receive a provisional offer are invited to a Maths and Writing Assessment, as well as a short interview in the Spring Term of Year 7 (see further details and sample papers). Outcomes from this assessment are confirmed before the Easter break, when boys will receive one of three outcomes: an unconditional offer, a place on the wait list, no offer.
Accepting your place
Complete the admissions checklist items via your Tonbridge Portal account and pay the non-refundable admission fee (£2,250 including VAT) by the deadline advised.
Should you wish to decline your son’s place, we would be grateful if you could advise us of this at the earliest opportunity so that we may release his place to another boy.
Scholarships
Tonbridge School offers a range of scholarships to honour and celebrate exceptional talent in academia, art, drama, DTE, music and sport. Non-core Scholarships assessment (art, drama, DTE, music and sport) take place in January of Year 8, with Academic Scholarship exams taking place early in the Summer Term of Year 8.
Information about applying for Scholarships can be found here.
