Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys: admissions history
How many families applied, how many places there were, and how far the last place went - every year we hold.
Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys 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, 297 families put Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys as their first choice and 1179 named it as one of their preferences, for 300 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places, so in 2026 a family who put it first could expect an offer unless the school's other criteria ruled them out.
First-choice demand has risen from 203 in 2021 to 297 in 2026.
25% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Across Kent, 79% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 96% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Kent lodged 2498 appeals against secondary school offers; 2231 reached a hearing and 595 succeeded (26.7% of those heard).
Applications and offers by year
| Entry year | Places offered | First choices | Named at all | First choices per place | First choices not offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 300 | 297 | 1179 | 1.0 | 158 |
| 2025 | 299 | 291 | 1059 | 1.0 | 102 |
| 2024 | 300 | 293 | 1091 | 1.0 | 115 |
| 2023 | 301 | 325 | 1086 | 1.1 | 137 |
| 2022 | 300 | 236 | 972 | 0.8 | 88 |
| 2021 | 300 | 203 | 1083 | 0.7 | 112 |
| 2020 | 208 | 132 | 798 | 0.6 | 69 |
| 2019 | 240 | 130 | 739 | 0.5 | 54 |
| 2018 | 240 | 200 | 730 | 0.8 | 79 |
| 2017 | 210 | 161 | 715 | 0.8 | 65 |
| 2016 | 180 | 149 | 655 | 0.8 | 66 |
| 2015 | 180 | 132 | 623 | 0.7 | 56 |
| 2014 | 180 | 191 | 618 | 1.1 | 81 |
Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school-level file). "Places offered" is the number of offers made on national offer day, which can differ from the school's published admission number.