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Borden Grammar School

School typeGrammar

AddressAvenue of Remembrance, Sittingbourne, Kent, England, ME10 4DB

Borden Grammar School in Sittingbourne admits boys for Year 7 entry via the Kent Test, using the GL exam board. There is no interview stage, and the specific pass mark and selectivity ratio are currently unknown. The school prioritises applications based on postcode if oversubscribed.

If your son is the kind of boy who would rather be known than be one of a crowd, Borden Grammar in Sittingbourne is worth a close look. It is smaller than many of its Kent neighbours — boys from 11 to 18, a small number of girls joining in the sixth form, entry by the Kent grammar test — and it wears that smallness as a virtue rather than an apology. The school grew out of the Barrow Trust, a charity funded from the estate of a local farmer named William Barrow, has carried the Borden Grammar name since around 1910, and settled onto its home on the Avenue of Remembrance in 1929.

The motto, Nitere porro — strive forward — runs through how the school talks about itself, alongside values of kindness, creativity, resilience, courage and respect. What it adds up to, in practice, is a school that takes character as seriously as results: boys are expected to develop a sense of right and wrong, not simply chase marks, and the teaching is designed to stretch the brightest while supporting those who need more time.

It suits a boy who will respond to a close, personal setting where he is looked after rather than left to blend in — and where the watchword, striving forward together, turns out to mean exactly what it says.

Key facts

Gender

Boys

Year 7 places

150

Annual fees

None

Website

Visit school website

Admissions

Open day

June

Registration opens

June

Registration closes

July

CAF deadline

Oct

Admissions contact

school@bordengrammar.kent.sch.uk

Admissions phone

01795 424192

Registration form

https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places/kent-test

Sibling policy

Yes

What this school tests

Kent Test

English16 question types

PunctuationReading Comprehension - ComparisonReading Comprehension - EvaluationReading Comprehension - Grammar and punctuationReading Comprehension - Inference and DeductionReading Comprehension - Information RetrievalReading Comprehension - Language Techniques and ImageryReading Comprehension - Sentence-level ComprehensionReading Comprehension - SequencingReading Comprehension - Structure, Form, Voice and ToneReading Comprehension - SummarisingReading Comprehension - Text Classification and PurposeReading Comprehension - Types of Words and PhrasesReading Comprehension - Word Meaning / ChoiceSentence CompletionSpelling

Maths23 question types

AlgebraAngles and DegreesBIDMASCoordinate GridsEstimation and RoundingFactors and MultiplesFractions, Decimals and PercentagesMagic squaresMeasurementMoneyNumber and Place ValueNumber WallsOperationsPerimeter, Area and VolumePosition and DirectionProperties of ShapesRatio and ProportionReflection, Rotation and SymmetrySequencesSpecial NumbersSpeed, Distance and TimeStatisticsTime

Non-verbal Reasoning14 question types

Extended Figure SeriesFigure AnalogiesFigure MatricesFigure OperationsFigure SeriesGrid MatricesHorizontal CodesMost Like Three FiguresMost Like Two FiguresOdd Figure OutStar MatricesTriangle MatricesTriangle SeriesVertical Codes

Verbal Reasoning26 question types

AnagramsCompound WordsEmbedded WordsForm a WordInsert a LetterLetter AnalogiesLetter CalculationsLetter CodesLetter GridsLetter SequencesMove 1 / 2 LettersNumber AnalogiesNumber CalculationsNumber SequencesRelated WordsRhyming SynonymsShuffled SentencesSynonymsWord / Logic PuzzlesWord AnalogiesWord CompletionWord MatchWord OppositesWord PairsWord RelationshipsWords and Codes

Spatial Reasoning8 question types

2D RotationsBlock CountingCombining ShapesFold and PunchFolding CubesHidden ShapesMissing Face of CubeShape Completion

Catchment area

There's no strict boundary, but if the school is oversubscribed it gives priority by postcode, first to boys in ME9, ME10, ME11 and ME12, then ME8 and ME13, then anywhere else.

Previous exam results

GCSE results

In 2025 students achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 63.2 across their GCSEs. 83.1% gained a grade 5 or better in both English and Maths. 44.4% achieved the English Baccalaureate at grade 5 or above. Reference: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/

A-level results

In 2025 students achieved a C+ average grade per A-Level entry. 12.8% gained AAB or better including two facilitating subjects. Reference: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/

Frequently asked questions

What exam board does Borden Grammar School use for the 11+?

Borden Grammar School uses the GL exam board for its 11+ entrance test.

What is the 11+ pass mark for Borden Grammar School?

The specific 11+ pass mark for Borden Grammar School is currently unknown.

Does Borden Grammar School interview as part of the 11+ process?

No, there is no interview stage for 11+ entry at Borden Grammar School.

Is Borden Grammar School co-educational or single-sex for 11+ entry?

Borden Grammar School is a single-sex school for boys for 11+ entry. Girls join in the sixth form.

What is the website for Borden Grammar School?

The official website for Borden Grammar School is https://www.bordengrammar.kent.sch.uk/.

Does Borden Grammar School have a catchment area for 11+ admissions?

While there is no strict boundary, Borden Grammar School prioritises boys by postcode if oversubscribed, starting with ME9, ME10, ME11, ME12.

How do you get a place at Borden Grammar School?

Your son first needs to reach the required standard in the Kent Test, or pass the school's optional Borden Assessment Procedure. If more boys qualify than there are places, the school ranks them: children in local authority care first, then up to 15% of places for boys in postcodes ME9 to ME12 eligible for Free School Meals during primary school, then boys with a sibling already at the school, then medical and special access cases, then boys living in the ME9 to ME12 area, then ME8 and ME13, then everywhere else. Closest home address breaks any tie.

What happens if my child is ill on 11+ test day at Borden Grammar School?

The main route is the Kent Test, run by Kent County Council, and you contact KCC if your son is unwell for that. For the school's own optional Borden Assessment, late or alternative testing is allowed only in exceptional cases, including illness confirmed by a doctor's certificate. If your son has a medical or learning need, the school arranges special access through his current primary, in line with the level of support he normally gets at school. Ask his primary to request this in writing as early as you can.

Location

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