Kent private schools: A parent's guide

Kent has one of the deepest benches of independent schools in the country, from large day-and-boarding names like Tonbridge and Sevenoaks through to smaller co-ed schools tucked into market towns. Most families come into the search a little disorientated: There's a mix of 11+ and 13+ entry, the ISEB Pre-Test sits at the centre of a lot of it, and fees stretch from around £6,000 a term at the lower end to over £15,000 at the top.

This guide walks through the main schools parents are choosing between, when each one assesses, what the ISEB Pre-Test involves, and how to think about cost without getting sticker shock. It isn't a ranking. Fit matters more than league tables once you're inside a roughly comparable cluster of schools.

Most Kent families short-list from a fairly stable group of around a dozen schools. They sit in three broad categories: Large historic day-and-boarding schools, mid-sized co-ed schools, and a small number of girls-only or boys-only options.

The King's School Canterbury, Tonbridge School, Sevenoaks School and Sutton Valence sit in the first group. St Lawrence College Ramsgate, Kent College Canterbury and Cobham Hall (co-ed across Years 7-13 from September 2025, day and boarding) sit alongside them as well-known co-ed options. For girls-only, Benenden and Walthamstow Hall in Sevenoaks are the names that come up most. Tonbridge remains the main full-boarding option for boys.

Most Kent independents take their main intake at either 11+ (Year 7) or 13+ (Year 9). A handful do both. The choice usually comes down to where your child is now, not what looks neater on paper.

If your child is currently in a state primary, 11+ is the natural entry point: They move straight from Year 6 into senior school. If they're in a prep school that takes pupils through to Year 8, 13+ is the standard route, and the prep will usually coach them through Common Entrance or the senior school's own paper.

Schools like Tonbridge and The King's Canterbury are heavily weighted to 13+, with smaller or no 11+ intake. Sevenoaks, Sutton Valence, Cobham Hall and Benenden all take significant 11+ cohorts. Walthamstow Hall takes its main intake at 11+, with smaller entry points at 13+ and 16+. Get this distinction straight before you build a short-list, because it determines when you register and what your child has to sit.

The ISEB Common Pre-Test is the assessment most Kent senior schools use for 13+ entry. It's an online, adaptive test in English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, sat at the candidate's current prep or primary school during Year 6 or the start of Year 7. The result is shared with every senior school the family has registered with, so children only sit it once per admissions cycle.

For 13+ entry, the Pre-Test is usually one part of a longer process. Most Kent schools then invite candidates back for an interview, and for some, school-specific written papers or Common Entrance in Year 8. For 11+ entry, practice is mixed: some schools (for example Walthamstow Hall and Sutton Valence) use the ISEB Pre-Test, others (such as Ashford) use Atom Assessments, and others again set their own English and maths papers plus an interview. Check each school's current admissions page for the specific format.

The headline thing to know: ISEB Pre-Test scores aren't released to parents. Schools see them; you don't. That makes it hard to second-guess where your child sits, which is the point.

Day fees at Kent independents tend to land between around £6,500 and £15,500 per term in 2025/26, with Tonbridge sitting at the top of the day range (around £15,000/term post-VAT, depending on year group). Boarding sits higher, often £13,000 to £22,000 per term at the top end. Benenden boarding is currently around £21,711 per term inclusive of VAT, and Tonbridge's full boarding fee is in a similar bracket (broadly £20,000+ per term post-VAT). Always check each school's current fees page for the exact figure.

A few things to factor in beyond the headline fee. VAT has applied to private school fees since January 2025, which many schools have passed through to parents in full. Registration fees of £100 to £300 are non-refundable and paid when you put your child's name down. Then there are extras: Lunches, trips, music lessons, uniform, exam entry fees. Budget another 5 to 10 per cent on top of the term fee.

If the headline number is uncomfortable, look at bursaries. Most large Kent independents now run means-tested schemes that can cover 50 to 100 per cent of fees for families below a published household income threshold. Thresholds vary widely between schools, so check each school's individual bursary policy for current cut-offs. Scholarships exist too, but they're usually smaller (10 to 25 per cent off) and awarded for academic, music, sport or art ability.

It helps to map the timeline against your child's school year, because it stretches further back than many parents expect.

Year 4 and earlier is open day territory. Don't book formal assessments, but do visit. Schools differ in feel more than glossy prospectuses suggest, and a Saturday open morning is the cheapest way to rule schools in or out.

Year 5 is registration. Most 11+ schools want you registered by late autumn of Year 5, sometimes earlier. Pay the registration fee, return the forms, and you're on the list.

Year 6 is the assessment year. For 11+ entry, schools run their own papers (usually January). For 13+, the ISEB Pre-Test usually sits in November of Year 6, with interviews following in the spring. Offers typically arrive in February or March.

Year 7 and 8 (for 13+ candidates) involves Common Entrance papers in the summer of Year 8, sat at the prep school, plus any school-specific scholarship papers. For 11+ candidates, this phase is academic year one and two at senior school.