England · Grammar school
The Skinners' School
Tunbridge Wells · Boys only · ages 11 to 18
Official record: Get Information About Schools (URN 140595)
Overview
- Address
- St John's Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 9PG
- Status
- Open
- Admits
- Boys only
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Number of pupils
- 1,149
- Capacity
- 945
- Eligible for free school meals
- 5%
- Sixth form
- Yes
- School type
- Academy converter
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- SKINNERS' ACADEMIES TRUST
- Local authority
- Kent
Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026 · Source: Desk research (cited public sources) (get-information-schools.service.gov.uk), last checked 31 October 2026
Admissions and the 11+
- Admissions policy
- Selective (grammar school)
- Selection in this area
- Fully selective area30% of Year 7 places offered in Kent for September 2026 were at selective schools (DfE applications and offers). We class an area as fully selective at 25% or more. Confirm with the local authority's admissions guide.
- Entrance test
- Kent Test
- Qualifying score
- aggregate 332 with no section below 108 (Kent Test threshold for September 2026 entry) (2026 entry)
- Catchment area
- West Kent area defined by listed parishes: 124 places across criteria plus up to 16 Governors' places (by combined rank order) for children living in those parishes; separate defined Outer Area with 20 places. 160 places (2026 entry).
- Children from outside the catchment
- Sometimes: Up to 20 places for the defined Outer Area, requiring a Kent PESE score at least 40 points above the KCC threshold, prioritised by distance. Applicants outside both areas not mentioned in sources seen.
Past offers: lowest score and furthest distance
| Intake | Applicant group | Lowest score offered | Last distance offered | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2025 | Outer Area (places offered on distance)The school describes this as the furthest distance offered in its Outer Area; the figure is rounded. | – | 28.97 km (18.00 miles) | skinners-school.co.uksecondary source |
| West Kent area (places offered on distance)The school describes this as the furthest distance offered in its West Kent area; the figure is rounded. | – | 17.70 km (11.00 miles) | skinners-school.co.uksecondary source | |
| Sept 2022 | West Kent area (places offered on distance)Under the old rules (a qualifying score of 360), the school says its West Kent area offers shrank to about 3 miles. | – | 4.83 km (3.00 miles) | skinners-school.co.uksecondary source |
From published allocation data found in desk research (checked 1 November 2026); not yet confirmed with the school. Scores from different tests or years are not comparable, and a past cut-off does not guarantee a future place.
Applications and offers for Year 7
For September 2026 entry, 887 applicants named this school (232 as their first choice) for 160 places. 13 of 160 offers went to children living outside Kent.
| Intake | Places offered | Applicants | First choice | First choices per place | Offers to children outside Kent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 | 160 | 887 | 232 | 1.4 | 13 |
| Sept 2025 | 160 | 747 | 208 | 1.3 | 15 |
| Sept 2024 | 160 | 811 | 243 | 1.5 | 15 |
| Sept 2023 | 159 | 760 | 200 | 1.3 | 16 |
| Sept 2022 | 160 | 697 | 242 | 1.5 | 18 |
Show all 12 years
| Intake | Places offered | Applicants | First choice | First choices per place | Offers to children outside Kent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2021 | 160 | 922 | 329 | 2.1 | 14 |
| Sept 2020 | 158 | 785 | 298 | 1.9 | 21 |
| Sept 2019 | 160 | 756 | 248 | 1.6 | 18 |
| Sept 2018 | 150 | 731 | 195 | 1.3 | 52 |
| Sept 2017 | 155 | 751 | 275 | 1.8 | 44 |
| Sept 2016 | 149 | 687 | 241 | 1.6 | 45 |
| Sept 2015 | 150 | 636 | 251 | 1.7 | 24 |
"Applicants" counts every family that listed the school as any preference, so it is higher than the number competing for each place. "Outside Kent" means a home in another local authority; it is not the school's catchment area. For grammar schools, offers also depend on the entrance test result.
Source: Secondary and primary school applications and offers (Department for Education), last checked 31 October 2026
Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026 · Source: Admissions research (cited public sources) (skinners-school.co.uk, kent.gov.uk), last checked 1 November 2026
Key dates for September 2027 entry
- Test registration (Kent Test)
- 1 June 2026 to 1 July 2026
- Test date
- 10 September 2026, 12 September 2026, 13 September 202610 Sep for children at Kent primaries; 12-13 Sep for children at non-Kent primaries. Late registration only in limited cases (email kent.admissions@kent.gov.uk); sources conflict. Dates come from school/tuition pages; official page kent.gov.uk/kenttest not seen. One guide mentions 12 Feb offer, unclear.
- Results sent to families
- 15 October 2026
- Apply to your council (September 2027 entry)
- By 31 October 2026This date has passed: late applications go to your council and are usually considered after on-time ones.
- National offer day
- 1 March 2027Offers are sent on 1 March, or the next working day.
- Open days
- Not yet available
- School opened (current registration)
- 1 February 2014
Unverified: test dates come from desk research (medium confidence). Confirm them with the council or test organiser. Sources: kelsi.org.uk, lenham.kent.sch.uk, cognito.org, leadingtuition.co.uk.
Statutory dates: School Admissions Code (Department for Education).
Guide to the Kent Test and its schools · How applying works
Source: Test dates research (cited public sources) (kelsi.org.uk), last checked 1 November 2026 · Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026
Ofsted inspection
Inspected on 27 January 2026. Read the report ↗
- Achievement
- Strong standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Strong standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Post 16 provision
- Strong standard
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
From September 2024 Ofsted no longer gives an overall grade for state schools.
Inspection history (3)
Source: Ofsted inspection reports, last checked 31 October 2026
Exam results
GCSE results 2025/26 (provisional)
| Measure | This school | Selective schools in England | All state schools in England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8Average grade across 8 GCSE-level subjects, doubled for English and maths (maximum 90). | 72.7 | 72.1 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 96.9% | 93.7% | 46.3% |
| Grade 7 or above in English and maths | 50% | 57.7% | 14.2% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 100% | 98.3% | 64.8% |
| Progress 8Not published for most schools in recent years, because primary school tests were cancelled in 2020 and 2021. | – | – | – |
Attainment 8 over time: 74.1 (2023/24) → 70.8 (2024/25) → 72.7 (2025/26).
160 pupils took GCSEs. Results reflect a selective intake: compare grammar schools with each other rather than with all schools.
Source: Key stage 4 performance (GCSE results) (Department for Education), last checked 31 October 2026
How to get there
- Postcode
- TN4 9PG
- Map location
- 51.14289, 0.26109
- Open in OpenStreetMap
- Directions and surroundings ↗
- Telephone
- 01892520732
Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026
Official links and documents
- School website
- www.skinners-school.co.uk
- Official register record
- Get Information About Schools (URN 140595) ↗
- Admissions policy document
- Not yet available
- Further reading
- Wikipedia ↗
Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026