Insight on Kent grammar Schools (Judd, Skinners and TWGSB)

[expatinmys]

Hi all
Hoping to get some responses to my query below.

Currently DS is preparing for the Kent Test and he is doing all right but a bit careless at times with his answers. We are within catchment for Skinners, Judd and TWGSB.

We are at the moment in the middle east and moving back by June/July to register for the Kent test and then attend year 6 in a local primary school.

Both DH and I are not grammar school educated. DS has not been in a school in the UK as we moved out to the ME when he was quite young.

We are aiming to get DS into one of the Kent grammar schools (Judd, Skinners and TWGSB) depending on his results.

I was hoping to get some insight into how grammar schools work especially in the non-academic sense, in the co-curricular and activities outside the classroom.

DS is not massively sporty but he loves his football. He is also in tennis lessons and swims twice a week and plays some cricket. He is average in most of these sports.

For music he is learning a brass instrument and piano. Will be attempting the 1st level exams by end of the year.

We were hoping to get some insight into how team sports are run in the grammar schools (especially in Skinners, Judd and TWGSB). I am aware in some private schools there are football team A, B C and so on which is based on ability of the boys. This would give the boys who are average a chance to participate as well.

I realise that all 3 (Judd, Skinners and TWGSB) seem to have a number of core sports, does that mean other sports such as football or tennis or less popular sports such as badminton are not played in the school?

How about musical opportunities within the schools?

We were wondering how the whole ethos of the grammar school works.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

I guess my question is , is there a competitive environment in the co-curricular activities that if a child does not excel he will not get the opportunity to be part of a team sports/orchestra and so on?

The ages 11 to 18 seem to be a defining time for boys, so we were wondering if anyone could share their experience of how their children fared in the grammars school and how they turned out and also will be good to hear from current parents.

Where we are at the moment, the secondary schools are good, very academic focused. The system is such that the school ends at 2pm and then after that it is up to the parents to ensure that their children take part in sports , learn a musical instrument etc. I have the opinion schools should be more than that , so trying to find out how the 3 grammar schools work especially since the whole of the UK seems to be going through some challenges with the woke culture, funding for schools.

Thanks in advance.

Firstly, I realise we're in a very fortunate position. My son scored highly enough this year to be able to choose between Judd and Skinners. We have been round both schools and really can't decide. My impression at the open days was that there really isn't much to choose between them. We live equally close to both and the journey is about the same. I felt both had quite similar vibe but very hard to tell in a 1 hour tour. I had no 'gut feel' at either school and liked them both.
Which would you choose in my position?
My son is not extremely studious but extremely bright. Not especially musical or sporty, just into your average 11 year old boy things. He is competitive but kind.
I have heard some reports of bullying at Skinners. I have heard reports of an unsupportive headteacher at Judd. I have heard Skinners take a harder line on discipline and Judd is more relaxed.
I'm told neither is especially 'rounded' in the private school sense, but both have pretty good drama, music and other co-curricular stuff.
Judd has the edge academically in terms of results / leavers destinations but that doesn't really bother me as I think this is really determined by the individual and the teachers they get. There will be a mix of fantastic teachers and average teachers at both schools.
I think he'd likely be happy at either school.
But can anyone give me a view?
Do most people feel that if you have the opportunity to go to Judd then you don't turn it down?
Thank you.

@Naturelover42

I can’t speak for Skinners, but Judd is an excellent fit for boys who are exceptionally bright. You’ll find a lot of like-minded students there who are naturally very academic but also bring a wide range of other qualities—it’s not just about academics. While it might not suit everyone, if your son is having trouble connecting with peers who share his intellectual interests at his current school, he’s very likely to find his tribe at Judd.

Thanks for replying @MiPP
I wouldn't say that he is naturally intellectually curious.
For instance, he does not read widely or for pleasure. I think he read 2 books last year! And he would never in a million years read anything about current affairs, for instance.
He is definitely not 'geeky', he simply grasps everything at school quickly and without effort. He now needs teachers who will inspire him to be more curious...
But it sounds like there is a good mix of different boys.....

Yes there may be some boys who lean more towards the "geeky" category but definitely not all are like that. Note that the Head teaches maths at school so does actually interact with boys.

You're definitely spoilt for choice with these schools, you can't really go wrong with either option. Good luck with your decision and congrats to your son for doing so well!

My three boys are at or have been at Skinners and I have been a parent there since c. 2015. I haven't had any issues with bullying or heard of any, other than sometimes some issues on the trains - which is hard for the school to police - but to be honest there is bullying in every school - it is how schools deal with it that matters.

My three boys are totally different - the older two had the choice of Judd or Skinners but decided against Judd. One is now at Cambridge - very academic, driven and focussed and he flourished having had a very tricky primary school experience, second son is very sporty, musical, good all rounder, bright but not stellarly clever like #1, and has been encouraged to develop his prodigious art talent (he's also not a reader btw) and my youngest is a law unto himself....but they have all found their tribes and are very happy at school.

To be honest, they are both excellent schools and if you have a choice - how lucky! I think we flipped a coin the first time we had to decide and when DS1 was disappointed it said Judd, we knew Skinners was the best choice for him..

@Panicmode1 @MiPP
Thank you both so much for your replies, I really appreciate it.
Can anyone tell me anything about art and drama at either Skinners or Judd or both?
So hard to say at this stage, but I feel my son is excited by both these. If one school was markedly better at either, it might make our decision much easier. Thank you again!

The drama productions at Skinners are outstanding and my son is taking A level art and the department is excellent...but I'm sure a Judd parent would say the same 😂. The thing I love about Skinners is the drive to create a rounded young man, not just nurture academic ability, but to encourage finding things that they enjoy alongside stretching their brains.

We're in exactly the same position as you and have opted for Skinners. We submitted the application form this morning! Judd felt too one-dimensional. We have heard only positives about Skinners. Good luck!

Hi @Naturelover42 congrats on your DS getting a good score! I hope your DS gets the schools he likes. I am sure both Judd and Skinners are equally excellent. My DS missed out on the cut off marks by around 5 points but we will be putting in the application and hoping for the best.

My 3rd year Oxbridge student go into Skinners from the wait list 9 years ago. I think the cutt off was 364, he scored 360.

that's nice , you must be so proud of your DS @Neurodiversitydoctor . well done , its good to see young people being a sucess. The cut off went higher for skinners in 2023 to 372 or 40 above pass mark.

He must have been in my son's year at Skinners' - he's also 3rd year Oxbridge!

Hi there, I wanted to jump on the end of this very insightful post as I am relocating from Australia back to Kent for my son to start yr 7 in 2027. He will be taking the Kent 11+ test here in Aus.

All 3 schools sound great in their own way and each would offer fantastic academic opportunities for my son.

I have a couple of questions...

1. Around sports and extra curricular activities. My son is very very sporty, but has never played Rugby.
   I wondered which school has the most diverse opportunities for sports teams. Seasonally he is in basketball, cricket, tennis and Australian football team's (not too dissimilar to Rugby). My concern with Judd and Skinner is that they sound traditionally Rugby & Athletics focussed without opportunities for other sports, and perhaps TWGS sounds most broad when it comes to sports?
   Which has the best sports facilities?

2. My son is in a swim squad outside of school, and this is his most successful sport, would anyone have recommendations on clubs in the local area?

3. Lastly, from a social and well-being perspective (which is a major one for us) are there any opinions or experiences on which school may be the most welcoming to an outsider from abroad (with an Aussie accent!)

Thanks in advance for any insight, it's so hard not being able to tour the schools.

Hi @cominghomefinally

Skinners' has an excellent sports department - the main winter sports are football, rugby and hockey in the winter, with (v strong) cricket and athletics in the summer, but there are SO many other amazing sports that go on - fencing, climbing, squash, tennis, cross country etc etc and they have just invested heavily in the gym so there is a fabulous fitness suite there for the boys.

Swimming - I think it's Monson that is the main club here in TW - one of DS3's friends is a national level swimmer and I think swims with them...not sure about further afield, maybe someone more knowledgeable can help.

I can't speak for the other schools but Skinners' really engenders a sense of community - both among the boys and the wider community. The school had a 'culture day' last term where boys were encouraged to dress in their national costume or something representing their nationality and it was wonderful to see them all heading to school in various colours and clothing.

@Panicmode1 This is really great to get this information on Skinners. Thank you. The sports sounds far more well rounded than I’d thought, which is fab. And very exciting they have invested in the facilities.

Also, very lovely and reassuring to hear about Culture Day. Thanks so much for sharing that.
I do feel more and more that Skinner’s could be the right fit.

I will look up the swimming club you mention too. Thanks again.

Also a Skinners parent and would confirm the above on both counts school related. The one thing I would point out though is that Rugby is played in the Autumn term - I’m not sure how many competitive matches there are as my son isn’t a rugby boy. The spring term is split between hockey and football. Only half the year plays each and there aren’t many competitive football matches (my son only played one last term). The teams are therefore chosen from a much smaller pool of boys so the school may not get their best players out. My son played in Skinners’ football A team but they got absolutely smashed by Judd’s A team, for that reason! Not sure if that’s important to your son but it’s worth bearing in mind. Anecdotally, a friend’s very sporty son is at Judd and they are very happy with the sports provision. Just hearing her feedback, I might say it sounds a little better than Skinners from that perspective actually.

I am also a swim mum for my sins. It really depends on where you’re looking to move to. Tunbridge Wells is quite far down the train line if you’re commuting into London for work. You might be better off moving slightly closer to London - Tonbridge, Hildenborough or Sevenoaks depending on other factors. If you do then I can highly recommend Sevenoaks Swim Club. Tonbridge also has a good reputation. Both put out very strong squads. I don’t know anything about the swim club PP mentioned as we’re on the Sevenoaks side of TW.

Football is a fairly new addition to the school (this is only the first or second year of them running it) as they wanted to retain rugby as the principal sport. Happy to answer anything further if you want to PM me - I'm 10+ years into being a Skinners' parent with 3 more yrs to go...!

Could anyone share their insights on diversity/ethnic minority pupils’ experiences in both Judd and Skinners.