Borden Grammar School
Boys grammar school in Sittingbourne, with a mixed sixth form.
| Places in Year 7 | 150 |
| How places are allocated | By distance |
| Own entrance test | Yes |
| Feesstate-funded, like every grammar school | None |
What score is needed?
The score does not decide it here. Once your child has qualified through the Kent Test — an aggregate of 332 across three standardised scores, with no single paper below the year’s minimum — a higher score gives no advantage at this school. What matters is the criteria above and how far you live away.
How hard is it to get a place?
In 2026, 138 families put Borden Grammar School first, and 114 of them were offered a place there (83%).
That includes children who did not reach the qualifying score, so it reflects the test and the allocation together, not the allocation alone.
| Year | Places offered | Put it first | Offered a placeof those |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 149 | 187 | 14075% |
| 2025 | 126 | 139 | 11180% |
| 2026 | 123 | 138 | 11483% |
Source: Department for Education, applications and offers. Figures are for National Offer Day in March; places filled later from waiting lists are not included.
How you get a place
Once your child has qualified, the score stops mattering. Places go to qualified applicants by the school's criteria and then by how far you live away.
- Places are banded by postcode area before distance is applied.
Does it run its own test?
Yes — Borden Assessment Procedure. Register between 1 June and 1 July, sat in mid-September. A second route for children who did not qualify through the Kent Test.
This is an alternative route, not an extra hurdle. A child who did not qualify through the Kent Test can still qualify here — but you have to register separately, on its own deadline.
Does it charge fees?
Borden Grammar School is a state grammar school, so there are no fees. Selective does not mean private. Admission is decided by the Kent Test and the school’s published criteria, never by what a family can pay.
Work out where a score lands
The Kent Test calculator turns marks into a standardised score you can compare against the figures above.
Other schools to look at
Same region, so the same test gets you into all of them. Which of these is a realistic alternative depends far more on how each one allocates places than on its reputation.
Source
Built from published admissions documents for 2027/28: admissions arrangements. Check the school’s own site before applying — arrangements change annually and deadlines are unforgiving.