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The Judd School

A Worshipful Company of Skinners foundation with 135 years of academic tradition, The Judd School sends boys from Tonbridge into elite universities — including Oxbridge at 15% — via a highly competitive Kent Test entry process.
Exam board
GL
Entry
Year 7
Founded
1888
Year 7 places
180
The Judd School logo

The Judd School

SMA Difficulty
Advanced
Location: Tonbridge, Kent
School type: Grammar
Admissions test: GL
Free 11+ Baseline Assessment
LOCATION & GETTING THERE

Where The Judd School sits — and how to reach it

● Schools● Trains● Buses● School coaches
LOCATION
The Judd School
Brook Street, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 2PN
Other selective schools nearby, closest first — useful if you are considering more than one.
Tonbridge Grammar School
Tonbridge, Kent · 0.9 km away
View guide →
Weald of Kent Grammar School
Tonbridge, Kent · 1.3 km away
View guide →
Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys
Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent · 4.0 km away
View guide →
Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School
Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent · 4.9 km away
View guide →
Nearest railway and Underground stations, with the lines that serve them. Distances are straight-line from the school.
Tonbridge
0.6 km from the school — Southeastern: London to Sevenoaks, Hastings and Kent Coast services
Leigh (Kent)
3.7 km from the school — Southeastern: Redhill to Tonbridge line
Hildenborough
3.8 km from the school — Southeastern: London to Tonbridge and Hastings
The Judd School
0.2 km from the school — routes 77, 211
Leigh Academy Tonbridge (o/s)
0.2 km from the school — routes 211, 773
Burns Crescent (just after)
0.3 km from the school — routes 211
Bus stops closest to the school, with the routes that serve them. Distances are straight-line from the school.
Tonbridge
0.6 km from the school — Southeastern: London to Sevenoaks, Hastings and Kent Coast services
Leigh (Kent)
3.7 km from the school — Southeastern: Redhill to Tonbridge line
Hildenborough
3.8 km from the school — Southeastern: London to Tonbridge and Hastings
The Judd School
0.2 km from the school — routes 77, 211
Leigh Academy Tonbridge (o/s)
0.2 km from the school — routes 211, 773
Burns Crescent (just after)
0.3 km from the school — routes 211
Coach services run by the school itself, where they exist.
Tonbridge
0.6 km from the school — Southeastern: London to Sevenoaks, Hastings and Kent Coast services
Leigh (Kent)
3.7 km from the school — Southeastern: Redhill to Tonbridge line
Hildenborough
3.8 km from the school — Southeastern: London to Tonbridge and Hastings
The Judd School
0.2 km from the school — routes 77, 211
Leigh Academy Tonbridge (o/s)
0.2 km from the school — routes 211, 773
Burns Crescent (just after)
0.3 km from the school — routes 211
Private coach services are run by local operators — confirm routes and seats directly each September.
ON THIS PAGE
OVERVIEW

How the test is structured

The Judd School selects via the Kent Test, administered by GL Assessment. The test comprises two one-hour multiple-choice papers taken in September: Paper 1 covers English and Maths (two 30-minute sections), and Paper 2 covers Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. A 40-minute creative writing task is also completed but is not scored in the main test — it may be reviewed by a headteacher panel for borderline candidates. Scores are standardised; each subject paper returns a score between 69 and 141, giving a maximum aggregate of 423.

To qualify for a Judd School place, boys need a minimum total of 332 with no individual subject score below 106. The school's PAN is 180 Year 7 places: 157 are reserved for boys in the Inner Area (postcodes covering Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks, Maidstone and parts of the M25 corridor), with the remaining 23 open to Out-of-Area applicants ranked purely by score. Places are allocated in score order within each band, with distance as tie-breaker only. The Common Application Form deadline is 31 October.

HISTORY & ETHOS

The school's story

The Judd School opened on 17 September 1888 as Sir Andrew Judd's Commercial School at Stafford House, East Street, Tonbridge. It was founded by the Worshipful Company of Skinners — the same livery company that had governed Tonbridge School since 1553 — and named in honour of Sir Andrew Judde, the sixteenth-century merchant and Lord Mayor of London whose fur-trading wealth had originally endowed Tonbridge School. The early school thrived quickly enough to outgrow its first home; in 1896 it moved to a purpose-built site on Brook Street, in the south of the town, where it remains today. It became a voluntary-aided grammar school under the Education Act 1944 and has since grown to approximately 1,500 pupils.The school's most celebrated alumnus is Nobel laureate Cecil Frank Powell (Physics, 1950), who won a scholarship to Judd aged eleven and later pioneered the photographic technique for detecting subatomic particles; the school's Powell House and annual Powell Prize in Physics and Mathematics commemorate him. That tradition of rigorous, methodical problem-solving — building understanding from concrete observation to abstract proof — is precisely the philosophy underpinning Singapore's mastery approach, making SMA's CPA methodology a natural fit for boys preparing to represent Judd in competitive science and mathematics.

Why the maths is genuinely hard

The Inner Area catchment is broad but the school is heavily oversubscribed — effective qualifying scores typically sit well above 332. The boys-only environment in Years 7–11 transitions to a co-educational Sixth Form of around 450 students, making the school a significant academic pipeline from 11 through to A-level.

SMA DIFFICULTY VERDICT

Our honest take on the difficulty

The SMA Verdict

3.5

/5

Advanced

The Judd School uses the Kent Test (GL Assessment), meaning the primary challenge is time pressure: 60 minutes across English and Maths combined, plus a second 60-minute reasoning paper. Marks are standardised, so every mark lost to slow working compounds. Maths questions draw from KS2 content but are set at pace and with some extension — bar modelling and the Singapore CPA method produce exactly the systematic speed and accuracy boys need to clear the 332 threshold comfortably and push into the competitive score range for Inner Area allocation.

CATCHMENT & TOWNS

Where families come from

Tonbridge
Tunbridge Wells
Sevenoaks
Hildenborough
Hadlow
Paddock Wood
West Malling
East Malling
Edenbridge
Westerham
KEY DATES

The 11+ admissions calendar

June 2026Kent Test registration opens
July 2026Kent Test registration closes
September 2026Kent Test (in-county pupils)
October 2026Kent Test results released
October 2026Common Application Form deadline
FAQ

Parents' most common questions

What is the minimum score needed to get into The Judd School?

Boys must achieve a combined Kent Test total of at least 332, with no individual paper scoring below 106. In practice, successful Inner Area applicants typically score significantly higher because places are allocated in score order — the higher your child's score, the more secure the offer.

How many Year 7 places does The Judd School offer?

The school's published admission number (PAN) is 180. Of those, 157 are reserved for boys living in the designated Inner Area postcodes (broadly TN1–TN15, ME18–ME19, parts of DA4 and TN16), with 23 places open to Out-of-Area applicants ranked by score.

Is The Judd School boys-only throughout?

Yes, in Years 7 to 11. The Sixth Form is co-educational, with approximately 75 external students — boys and girls from local schools — joining each year. It is one of the largest and highest-performing sixth forms in Kent, with around 450 students in total.

What does the Kent Test actually test in Maths?

The Maths section of Paper 1 tests KS2 curriculum content — number, fractions, ratio, geometry, data — but at speed. Each maths section lasts 30 minutes with roughly 25 questions after a 5-minute practice period. Fluency and accuracy under time pressure are the critical skills; Singapore bar modelling is particularly effective for multi-step word problems.

When do Kent Test results come out?

Results are emailed to parents in mid-October, typically within five to six weeks of the September test date. Families then name schools on the Common Application Form, which must be submitted to their local authority by 31 October.
EXAM PAPERS

Past and sample papers

COMING SOON

We're gathering the sample and familiarisation papers The Judd School publishes, so you can see the real thing before you prepare. If you'd like them sooner, just ask.

NEARBY SCHOOLS

Other selective schools in the area

Tonbridge Grammar School
Tonbridge, Kent · 0.9 km
View guide →
Weald of Kent Grammar School
Tonbridge, Kent · 1.3 km
View guide →
Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys
Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent · 4.0 km
View guide →
Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School
Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent · 4.9 km
View guide →

Preparing for The Judd School?

We teach the reasoning these papers actually reward — not test tricks. Small online groups, qualified teachers, and a Singapore Maths method built on genuine understanding.