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Tonbridge School
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Description: Tonbridge 6
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Tonbridge School
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Description: Tonbridge School

Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1JP
Telephone: 01732 365555
Motto: Deus dat incrementum
Key dates: Autumn term: Wednesday 6 September 2023 to Wednesday 13 December 2023
Half term: Saturday 21 October 2023 to Sunday 5 November 2023

Spring term: Monday 8 January 2024 to Thursday 21 March 2024
Half term: Friday 9 February 2024 to Sunday 18 February 2024

Summer term: Monday 15 April 2024 to Saturday 6 July 2024
Half term: Friday 24 May 2024 to Sunday 2 June 2024
Age Range: Senior to 18
Day or Boarding: Day, Full Boarding
Gender: Boys
Exams offered: A Level, Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), GCSE
Scholarships Tick: Academic, Art, Drama, DT, Music, Sport
Scholarships Other Types: Choral
Bursaries and discounts: New entrant bursary
Scholarships and Bursaries – Further DetailsPlease use the section below to add details of any scholarships and bursaries that your school offers. 
Scholarships and Bursaries – Further Details
Awarded in Year 6: Junior Foundation Scholarships to those who display exceptional academic ability and where there is significant financial need. Assessment date: November 2023.
Awarded in Year 8: Top Academic Scholarship (Ainslie), a one-off award of £4,000. In addition, there are 20 further Academic Scholarships; 10 or more Music awards; up to 10 Art, Drama, or Design, Technology and Engineering awards; and 4 Cowdrey (sport) Scholarships. All receive a one-time £2,000 award. All Scholarship award winners are eligible to apply for a supplementary means-tested bursary.
13+ Scholarships:
Academic Scholarship candidates are examined at Tonbridge from April 2024.
Music, Art, Drama, Cowdrey and Design, Technology and Engineering Scholarship candidates are assessed at Tonbridge in the week beginning 22 January 2024.
16+ Scholarships:
Academic and Music Scholarship candidates are awarded to boys of exceptional ability.
Please contact Hayley McLintock, Director of Admissions, Tonbridge School, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1JP. Email: admissions@tonbridge-school.org Tel: 01732 304297.
 
Tonbridge has a distinctive mixture of boarders and day boys and enjoys superb indoor and outdoor facilities on a 150-acre site, which lies only 40 minutes by train from central London. It currently has just over 800 boys, who come from a variety of backgrounds.
The School is highly respected, both in the UK and internationally, for providing a world-class education. Boys are encouraged to be creative and intellectually curious; to approach new opportunities with confidence; and to learn to think for themselves and develop leadership skills, while being mindful of the needs and views of others. A Tonbridge education includes a vibrant programme of co-curricular breadth and depth.
Tonbridge is renowned for its high-quality, innovative teaching and learning, and for academic achievement. Exam results at A Level and GCSE are outstanding each year. In 2023, 43 per cent of all A-level grades awarded were at the very highest grade of A*. In total, 80 per cent of all grades were A* or A, while nearly all grades (97 per cent) achieved by Tonbridge A-level students were either A*, A or B.
In GCSEs for 2023, 48 per cent of grades were at 9, the highest possible grade, and more than three quarters (77 per cent) were at 9 and 8 (with both grades the equivalent of A*). Overall, 94 per cent of grades were at 9, 8 or 7.
In the Sunday Times ‘Parent Power’ Schools Guide 2024, Tonbridge is ranked as the sixth best independent school nationally, and is placed second overall in the south-east.
Each year the School's Upper Sixth leavers gain places at the UK’s leading universities, including Oxford, Cambridge and Russell Group institutions, with the large majority securing their chosen destination. Those opting to study abroad also attend prestigious institutions, most commonly in the USA. Tonbridge boys have recently gained places (and scholarships) at Princeton, Chicago, Duke, Colombia, USC and New York University Abu Dhabi, as well as at universities in Austria, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and Hong Kong.
Pastoral care is based around an outstanding House system. Strong and positive relationships between boys, staff and parents are central to its success, and the School ensures that each pupil, whether a boarder or a day boy, feels fully at home and well supported.
The School has a genuine commitment to widening access: a key part of its ethos is to ensure that any bright, talented boy has the opportunity to benefit from a Tonbridge education, regardless of background or financial situation. The School aims to increase the number of boys on significant financial support (including the full-fee ‘Foundation Awards’) to at least 100 by the time of its 475th anniversary in 2028. Tonbridge also supports families that need more limited help. Fee remissions each year, for bursaries, scholarships and other awards exceed £2.8 million.
Location. Tonbridge School is just off the M25, on the edge of the Kent / Surrey / Sussex borders, and attracts families from all over southern England and beyond. It lies in 150 acres of land on the edge of the town of Tonbridge, providing a good balance between town and country living.
About 155 boys are admitted at the age of 13 (Year 9) each year. An additional 20 or so places are available for entry to the Sixth Form at the age of 16 (Year 12). We also have up to 6 places for boys aged 14 (Year 10).
Registration for a boy at 13+ entry should be made, preferably, not later than three years before the date of intended entry. Boys will then be asked to complete the ISEB pre-test and to visit Tonbridge for an assessment afternoon, usually during the Autumn Term of Year 6. The information collected from these assessments, in conjunction with the current school Head’s report, will determine whether the offer of an unconditional or provisional place may be made. Those receiving an unconditional offer will be required to complete no further assessment. Those receiving a provisional offer will be invited to take a further assessment (in Maths and English) during the Summer Term of Year 7, after which a provisional offer may be converted to an unconditional offer.
Later registration for Year 9 entry is possible during Year 7, with such candidates following a modified entrance procedure. Details of this procedure can be found on our website or obtained from the Admissions Office: Tel: 01732 304297; E-mail: admissions@tonbridge-school.org.
Applications for 14+ (Year 10) and Sixth Form (Year 12) entry are best made by 1 September a year before entry, but may be considered later. Admission at 14+ is gained via our own Maths and English exams. Boys sitting for entry at 16+ will take papers in the 4 subjects they wish to study in the Sixth Form, in addition to an English Language paper.
Please see the school website to view an online a copy of the prospectus. The Admissions pages of the site give full details of the registration procedure.
Scholarships and Bursaries. Some 45 scholarships overall are offered each year to boys in either Year 6 (the Junior Foundation Scholarship) or in Year 8.
Up to 6 Junior Foundation Scholarships are available to candidates in Year 6 who are attending a state primary school or to those attending a prep school, but who would require financial support in order to attend Tonbridge. Candidates should register by early October during Year 6 and will be invited to attend an assessment afternoon in November, with the stronger candidates returning to take tests in Maths and English in February. Such scholarships, which are confirmed in Year 6, may provide financial support of up to 100% to allow boys not currently in the independent sector attendance at prep school for Years 7 and 8, as well as at Tonbridge from Year 9.
In Year 8, a further 21 Academic Scholarships are awarded (following examination in early May) as well as 10 or more Music Scholarships (for which auditions are held in early February), up to 10 Art, Drama or Technology Scholarships (assessed in early February) and up to 4 Cowdrey Scholarships, for sporting ability and sportsmanship (also assessed in early February). The award of any scholarship opens up eligibility for a means-tested bursary of between 10% and 100% of school fees, as agreed by the Bursar following a confidential review of financial circumstances.
Entry forms and full particulars of all Scholarships and Foundation Awards are available on the school website.
Fees per term (2023-2024). £16,648 for a boarding place and £12,490 for a day place.
Charitable status. Tonbridge School is a Registered Charity, number 1097977.
 
Governors & Staff:
 
Governors:
G M Rochussen (Chairman)
C Ashton
T M Attenborough
Mrs S Bishop
D P Devitt
M Dobbs
M E Fry
Professor H Gaunt
S Hall
H Hamilton-Turner
J G Leahy
Dr N Perry
Dr V Rangarajan
J Rogers
Dr M S Spurr, DPhil
J Thorne
Mrs K Wheadon
G White
 
Clerk to the Governors: Major General A Kennett, CBE
 
Headmaster: J E Priory, MA Oxon
 
Second Master: J R Bleakley, BA
Deputy Head Academic: M J Weatheritt, MA
Director of Admissions: Mrs H F McLintock, BA
Deputy Head Co-Curricular: J A Fisher, BSc
Deputy Head Pastoral: C J C Swainson, MA
Lower Master: Mrs J H McNeil, BA
Director of Learning & Academic Enrichment: Mr J Blake, BA, MSc
Tonbridge Society Director: A Ballard, BA
 
Assistant Staff:
* Head of Department/Subject
 
Art:
*F J Andrews, MA, BA
W D F Biddle, BSc
Miss E H Lycett, BA
Mrs B L Waugh, BFA
Art Librarian: Mrs M P Dennington
Art Technician: Mrs J M Brent
 
Classics:
*Dr J A Burbidge, BA, MSt, DPhil
Mrs C C Campbell, BA
S G Ginns, MPhil, BA
A P Schweitzer, MA
Ms L H Shackleton, MA
R J M Stephen, MA
L F Walsh, BMus
 
Computer Science:
*Dr J E Robertson, BSc, MSc, PhD
W S Chiu, BA
 
Design Technology and Engineering:
*R L Day, BSc
W D F Biddle, BSc
Dr A O Cooke, MEng, DPhil
J M Woodrow, BA
Technology Technicians: R Davies; O Longson
Teaching Assistant: C Martin
 
Digital Creativity:
*P J Huxley, BSc
C D Walker
W S Chiu, BA
 
Divinity:
*J C F Dobson, MA
B C F Bennet, BA
R Burnett, MA
The Revd A P Law, BA
L U Masters, BA
The Revd D A Peters, MA
R H Sheemar, BA
Dr H J M Swales, MA, MPhil
 
Drama:
*G D Bruce, MA
*S U Hussain, MA, BA (Head of Academic Drama)
Director in Residence: Mrs F R Bailey, MSc, BA
 
English:
*Dr J G Reinhardt, BA, MSEd, MA, PhD
J R Bleakley, BA
Miss L C Clubb, BA
Mrs K A Crowley, BA
R H Evans, MA
S J Farmer, MA
P F Houston, MA, BA
Dr J D Shafer, PhD, MA, BSc
N J Waywell, BA
 
Extended Project Qualification:
Mrs R Davis, BSc
 
Geography:
*C M Battarbee, BA
C M Henshall, BA
Mrs J H McNeil, BA
Mrs J M Watson-Reynolds, MA, BA
 
History:
*N Hillyard, BA, MSt
Dr J M T Dixon, BA, MPhil, PhD
Mrs F C Dix Perkin, MA
C W Eades, BA
Mr R A Haines, MA, BA
Dr C D Thompson, BA, MPhil, PhD
 
Mathematics:
*J M Ashton, BSc
T G Fewster, BSc
K A Froggatt, MA
Miss J A D Gent, BA
Dr I R H Jackson, MA, PhD
B D M Katz, MSc, BA
Dr J D King, MA, PhD
Mrs P M King, MA, BA
M J Lawson, BA
N J Lord, MA
V Myslov, BA
Dr A A Reid, MChem, PhD, AFHEA
S J Seldon, MA, MEng
Dr J D Shafer, PhD, MA, BSc
Dr Z Wang, MMath, PhD
 
Modern Languages:
*W H C Law, BA (*French)
S Kerr, BA (*German)
Miss M del Mar Ponce Galan, BA, GCTSA (*Spanish)
X J Wu, MA (*Mandarin Chinese)
Mrs M F D Brenchley, BA
R Burnett, MA
R D Hoare, MA
J C Ortega, BA
J A Storey-Mason, BA
J-P Vieu, BA, MA
C E Wright, BA
Ms X Yu, BA
 
Music:
*M A Forkgen, MA, ARCO (Director of Music)
J R P Thomas, MA, FRCO (Head of Academic Music & Choirmaster)
D L Williams, GRSM, ARCM, LRAM (Piano)
S J Hargreaves, MA, MEd
L F Walsh, BMus
 
Pastoral Education (PSHEE):
*Mrs C C Campbell, MA
R Burnett, MA
A G McGilchrist, MEng
Mrs J M Watson-Reynolds, MA, BA
P J North, MA, BA
J C Ortega, BA
F J Andrews, MA, BA
W D F Biddle, BSc
 
Science:
*N C Waite, BSc
Physics:
*C T E Powell, BSc, MA, MRes
G M Barnes, BSc
Dr S Chalk, PhD, BSc
Dr A O Cooke, MEng, DPhil
C G Curtis, BA
R L Fleming, MA, MInstP
A G McGilchrist, MEng
N C Waite, BSc
M J Weatheritt, BSc, MA
Chemistry:
*Dr D P Robinson, MEarthSci, DPhil
A T J Byfield, MA, BTh, PGDip
G C Fisher, BSc, MA
J A Fisher, BSc
Miss G G Gao, MChem
Miss H A Hayward, MChem
Dr C R Lawrence, MA, PhD
Dr S X Sneddon, PhD, BSc
K J Walsh, MSci
Biology:
*Dr W J Burnett, PhD, BSc
Ms A R Cooper, MBiochem
Mrs C A Felstein, BSc
Miss H A Hayward, MChem
P M Ridd, MA
A T Sampson, BSc
C J C Swainson, MA
K J Walsh, MSci
 
Social Science:
*S M Cleary, BSc (Social Science & Economics)
Miss K E Moxon, MA (*Politics)
C M Ashurst, BA (*Business)
J Blake, BA, MSc
L U Masters, BA
P J North, MA, BA
N R V Rendall, BA
Dr J D W Richards, MA, PhD
K M Seecharan, BSc
A J Sixsmith, BA
 
Sport, Health and Fitness:
Director of Sport: C D Morgan, BSc
Assistant Director of Sport & Hockey Coach: Mrs L Maasdorp
Rugby Academy Director: R H Crane, BSc
 
Director of IT & Digital: A W Milgate
 
Head of Communications: Mr N J Ellwood, MA
Head of Marketing: Mrs K Dimnik
 
Head of Universities & Careers: Mrs R Davis
 
Learning Strategies and EAL:
*Mr J D C Lewis, BSc
Mrs C Clugston, MA
Mrs L A Fry, MA
Mrs N M Gerard, BA, DipSPLD
Mrs H F McLintock, BA
R J M Stephen, MA
Mrs R Thomson, BA, DipHE, TESOL
 
Houses & Housemasters:
 
Boarding:
School House: K M Seecharan
Judde House: J A Storey-Mason
Park House: A T Sampson
Hill Side: P J North
Parkside: Dr C D Thompson
Ferox Hall: C W Eades
Manor House: S J Hargreaves
 
Day:
Welldon House: R H Evans
Smythe House: G C Fisher
Whitworth House: C M Ashurst
Cowdrey House: N R V Rendell
Oakeshott House: G M Barnes
 
Librarian: Mrs H Precious, BA, MSc, MCLIP
 
Admissions Secretaries:
Miss R G Hearnden (Senior Admissions Officer)
Mrs V C Larmour (Admissions Officer Lower Sixth Entry)
Mrs R Griffiths (Foundations Awards Manager)
Mrs L Coakley (Admissions Officer (Year 6))
 
Examinations Officer: Miss B J Shepherd
 
Administration:
Headmaster's PA: Mrs J T Bishop
PA to the Second Master & School Administrator: Miss E J Day
PA to the Bursar: Mrs D J Shepherd
Music Dept Administrator: Mrs J Marsh
Location

Tonbridge School
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