Borden Grammar School 11+ guide

Atom Learning is partnered with Borden Grammar School. You can read more about our partnership here.

Are you thinking about applying to Borden Grammar School? Find out everything you need to know about the entry process and how to prepare for the 11+ exam.

Key information for Borden Grammar School

• School type: boys’ grammar school
• Location: Sittingbourne, Kent
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• Number of places in Year 7: 150
• 11+ exam: Kent Test and the optional Borden Assessment Procedure
• Catchment area: yes

Important dates for 2027 entry

The Kent Test dates for 2027 entry have not been released. We will update this guide once they become available. 

• Monday 1st June 2026: Borden Assessment Procedure registration opens
• Wednesday 1st July 2026: Borden Assessment Procedure registration closes
• Saturday 12th September 2026: the Borden Assessment Procedure will take place at the school
• Mid-October 2026: parents receive test results
• Saturday 31st October 2026: deadline to apply for secondary school places
• Monday 1st March 2027: secondary school national offers day
  

How to apply to Borden Grammar School

Borden Grammar School is selective. This means that your child will need to take the 11+ exam to be eligible for a place.

In Kent, the 11+ is known as the Kent Test, which Borden Grammar School uses as the main route for admission. In addition, the school offers an optional Borden Assessment Procedure for boys who do not meet the required standard in the Kent Test but may still be suitable for a grammar school place.

There are two possible routes for your child to be considered.

Route 1: The Kent Test (Kent PESE)

• Your child must take the Kent Test to be considered for a place at Borden Grammar School.
• Boys who achieve the required standard for the Kent Test are then eligible for admission to Borden Grammar School.

Route 2: Borden Assessment Procedure (optional)

The Borden Assessment Procedure provides an additional opportunity for boys who do not reach the required standard in the Kent Test but may still be suitable for a selective grammar school environment.

Key points to be aware of:

• The Borden Assessment Procedure is optional and sits alongside the Kent Test.
• This route is only available to boys who have taken the Kent Test and then choose to sit the Borden Assessment Procedure as well. 
• Registration for the Borden Assessment Procedure is separate from the Kent Test registration. A link to register will be available on Borden Grammar School’s website between Monday 1st June 2026 and Wednesday 1st July 2026.
• Taking part gives your child another chance to show their suitability for Borden Grammar School, recognising that one test day does not always reflect a child’s full academic potential.

Your child’s results will be emailed to you in mid-October. If they meet the qualifying standard for Borden Grammar School, you can apply for a place by naming the school on your common application form. This must be submitted to your local authority by Saturday 31st October 2026.

Important note: passing either of the tests does not guarantee that your child will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Grammar schools are often oversubscribed with children who meet the qualifying standard. After the 31st October deadline, schools apply their admissions criteria to allocate places.

We have outlined the process for Borden Grammar School below.

What will my child be tested on?

The Kent Test:

The Kent Test is made up of two multiple-choice papers and a short creative writing task. It’s designed to assess your child’s skills in English, maths and reasoning and to help grammar schools identify potential.

Each paper lasts around an hour, and your child will mark their answers on a separate answer sheet (this gets marked electronically).

For more detail, see our full guide to the Kent Test.

The Borden Assessment Procedure:

The Borden Assessment Procedure consists of four paper-based tests, provided by Quest Assessments.

Together, these tests assess:

• Verbal ability
• Numerical and mathematical reasoning
• Non-verbal reasoning
• English

All tests are standardised, meaning your child’s performance is compared fairly with that of other children of the same age.

Further details about the test format will be published on the school’s website in May 2026, before registration opens.

How are places allocated at Borden Grammar School?

In mid-October, you will receive your child’s test results. These confirm whether your child has met the required standard for admission. Kent Test results are shared by Kent County Council, and Borden Assessment Procedure results are sent to parents by first class post.

If your child meets the qualifying standard, you must name Borden Grammar School as a preference on your common application form by 31st October.

Places are allocated in a particular order. This is known as ‘Oversubscription Criteria’ and is specific to each grammar school you apply to. Details are available in your target school’s admissions policy.

Does Borden Grammar School have a catchment area?

Borden Grammar School has a catchment area, referred to as its traditional school areas, to prioritise children who live closer to the school.

The following postcode areas are prioritised:

• ME9, ME10, ME11 and ME12

Children living in the following postcode areas may also be considered:

• ME8 and ME13
  

Living within the priority areas can improve your child’s chances of being offered a place if the school is oversubscribed.

If a tie-break is needed (e.g. there is one place left and two children have the same score), the child living closest to the school will be prioritised for a place.

If you don’t live close to the school, it’s important to think about how your child will get there every day. How long will the journey take? What transport options are available? Will they be travelling independently or with support?

A longer or more complex journey can affect your child’s daily routine, including how much time they have for homework, rest, and after-school activities.

It’s a good idea to think about how manageable the school run will be and whether it will work for your family day to day.

How can I help my child prepare for the test?

The 11+ can feel like a significant milestone, but preparation does not need to be overwhelming. A calm, structured approach can make a real difference.

Stay on track with a clear plan

One of the hardest parts of 11+ preparation is knowing what to focus on, when, and how to make steady progress without it taking over family life.

A clear, structured plan helps your child feel less overwhelmed and more in control. It ensures they build skills in the right order, cover everything they need, and avoid last-minute cramming.

Atom’s exam plan makes this easier. Enter your child’s exam date and target schools, and we’ll create a personalised weekly plan tailored to the topics they’ll be tested on. It shows them what to work on and when, adapts as they improve, and helps them build progress in a calm, manageable way — little and often.

That means less guesswork for you, less stress for them, and a clearer path all the way to exam day.

Build smart exam technique

As your child’s knowledge grows, practice tests can help them feel more comfortable with the real exam format.

Atom’s 11+ practice papers are exact replicas of real 11+ exams. They’re also unlimited – you can download the same paper again and again, and your child will get new questions each time. This helps them practise without repeating the same content.

We’ve made marking easy for you, too. Simply photograph your child’s answer sheets and upload them to Atom. The papers are marked instantly, showing your child’s standardised age score (SAS), where they’re doing well, and what they should focus on next. You’ll also learn how they compare to other children applying to the same school.

Encourage regular reading

Strong reading skills play a big role in 11+ preparation.

Encourage your child to read every day, even for just 10–15 minutes. The key is variety. Mix fiction and non-fiction, different genres, and a range of authors. This helps them become more confident in understanding tone, purpose, and meaning across different texts.

Over time, regular reading will:

• broaden their vocabulary
• improve comprehension and inference
• build confidence in tackling unseen texts

And just as importantly, it can help them enjoy reading — not just see it as exam preparation.

Looking for inspiration? Atom’s recommended reading lists have suggestions spanning fiction and non-fiction for Years 3–6.

Celebrate progress, not just scores

When you’re supporting your child through 11+ preparation, what really matters is knowing they’re moving in the right direction — not just how they scored on a single test.

Atom’s progress tracking gives you a clear, simple picture of how your child is doing in each topic and the direction they’re moving in. You can see where they’re on track, where they might need more practice, and spot progress as it happens.

That makes it easier to give meaningful encouragement, keep motivation steady, and focus on what matters most: consistent improvement, not just one-off results.