Tonbridge secondary schools

[JustinTsui]

My husband and I are looking to move to Tonbridge. Our daughter is now 7 years old. We understand Tonbridge has a lot of unisex, independent and grammar schools but we prefer to send our daughter to state schools. The ofsted of the states schools are requires improvement. However, I also understand ofsted may not necessarily reflect if the schools are good or not. Can anyone please give me some feedback on the below schools:

• meadows school
• Huge Christie School

Also, I think I read somewhere that a lot of the primary schools in the area are over subscribed as for in year application. Is that still true?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Meadows is specifically for children with EHCPs. Don’t know much about Hugh Christie but depending where you move to in Tonbridge you could be in catchment for Hillview (all-girls state) and Leigh Academy (co-ed state). Both are on the south side of Tonbridge. Grammar schools are also state but you need to pass the 11+ (Kent Test) to be able to put it on your Secondary School Common Application Form (SCAF). Also note that Tonbridge Grammar School (all girls) is a ”super selective” so your DD would have to score very highly in the Kent Test to get a place.

As to primary schools, as an in year applicant you’d be given a place at whichever primary school has space at the time you move, which may not be the one local to you. Might be worth a phone around before moving to find out which ones do have space for your DD.

The Ofsteds of Tonbridge Grammar School, Weald of Kent and Hillview are definitely not "requires improvement"! TGS are Outstanding but I'd have to check the others. They are all state schools and all girls (TGS takes boys in the 6th form, as does Hillview I think).

But are you keen on co-ed? If so, Kent does have a lot of single sex schools.

Grammar schools are state schools, but academically selective at 11+.

Thanks for your information about Meadows. My partner and I are not too keen to send our girl to girls school for personal preference. Apologies that I didn't make it clear that, we don't really want to go into the Grammar state school route.

It's also a very good advice to contact the primary schools to see which will have the spaces for in year.

Thanks for your reply. Would you elaborate a little bit more about Weald of Kent and Hillview's ofsted? Someone from Tonbridge told us that since most of the people live in Tonbridge will go to either independent or grammar schools, so the "not-so-good" students will be going to state schools, it led to the "requires improvement" rating? That's why it stops us from moving to Tonbridge.

My partner and I are more keen for our daughter to go to co-ed secondary schools due to personal preference. However, we are reluctant to send her to ofsted "requires improvement" schools.

@JustinTsui , would you consider moving to Essex or Sussex instead? Kent is known for its single sex secondary state grammar schools! There are only 163 state grammar schools in England and 38 are in Kent.

Grammar schools are state schools!

Your friend means that the non selective state schools are missing the higher achievers. Arguable if that is really the case as TGS, Weald and Judd have students from a wide distance.

I think you need to understand the Kent school system a lot better before making this move tbh.

Leigh academy is only co-ed in the last year and was previously a poor school. My son went to it for a short period of time before we got a place at Trinity.

Most of his class tried or did vape and that was year 7 !

@JustinTsui we are similar to you and I was wondering what your conclusion was? Did you find out anything further? The area works for us housing/work wise but would prefer to send out kids to a non-selective, non-11+, co-ed. I know they exist but can't work out if many families choose to send their kids (who are could pass 11+) to the non-selective schools.