The Judd School, Tonbridge

In its own words: "The Judd School is a highly academic state-funded school with traditional values. All students are expected to work hard, achieve their potential, serve their community and develop their leadership skills from the moment they first enter our inspiring buildings."

From the headteacher's welcome: "When I first arrived at Judd last September, I was unsure of what to expect. I was very aware of the school's reputation for academic excellence and outstanding results, but leaving my previous school also meant leaving behind some of my closest friends and the familiar routines I had grown accustomed to."

In 2026, pupils at The Judd School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 78.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 48.1 in Kent and 47 across England.

99% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 49% in Kent and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 78.4.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.85: pupils made well above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Biology, Physics and Chemistry.

The Judd School is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.

For September 2026 entry, 400 families put The Judd School as their first choice and 995 named it as one of their preferences, for 179 places offered. That is 2.2 first choices for every place. 232 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The Judd School admits pupils through an entrance test - in Kent, the Kent Test. Children have to be registered for it in advance, normally in the spring or summer of Year 5; the test itself is usually sat in September of Year 6, and results come out in October, before the 31 October deadline for naming secondary schools.

Passing the test makes a child eligible rather than guaranteeing a place: when more children pass than there are places, The Judd School ranks them by the criteria in its admissions policy, which can include test score and distance. Check Kent's admissions pages and the school's own policy for this year's registration deadline - a child who is not registered in time cannot sit the test.

Kent has 32 state grammar schools in all, so a child who passes may have several selective schools to choose between.

The nearest other state secondary schools to The Judd School are Leigh Academy Tonbridge (0.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.9); Tonbridge Grammar School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 77); Weald of Kent Grammar School (0.8 miles, Requires improvement, selective, Attainment 8 69.3); and Hillview School for Girls (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.1).

The Judd School's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

520 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Judd School (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 78% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (98%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (78%).

Of the 189 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 100% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 1% to a further education college.

Of the 276 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 80% went on to university or other higher education, 3% to apprenticeships and 11% into work. 74% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

2.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 33 pupils (2.1%) received SEN support and 36 (2.3%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.

The Judd School has a resourced provision for autism: 22 places, 21 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Tonbridge Rail Station, about 540 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).

5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Judd School (adjacent), 180 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Judd School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, The Judd School issued 6 suspensions, 0.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Judd School are Sussex Road Community Primary School (0.1 miles), Royal Rise Primary School (0.7 miles), Slade Primary School and Attached Unit for Children with Hearing Impairment (0.8 miles) and Bishop Chavasse Primary School (1.2 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.