The Skinners’ School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide

About The Skinners’ School

The Skinners’ School is a state grammar school for boys in Tunbridge Wells, West Kent. It admits 160 boys a year across five forms, with places split between the West Kent area, the outer area, and a small number of Governors’ places reserved for the highest-scoring West Kent boys who would not otherwise be offered a place.

Because Skinners’ sits within the Kent grammar school system, entry is decided by the countywide Kent Test rather than a test set by the school itself. Demand from West Kent families is consistently high, so while there is no fixed Skinners’ pass mark, a strong score genuinely widens a boy’s chances, both through distance pressure and through the score-ranked Governors’ places.

Key information for 2027: The Skinners’ School at 11 Plus (11+)

• School type: State grammar school (boys)
• Consortium: Kent Test (Kent County Council, West Kent)
• Registration deadline: June 2026 (midnight on 1 July 2026)
• Exam date: September 2026
• CAF deadline: end of October 2026
• National school offer day: March 2027
• Contact details: www.skinners-school.co.uk, registration via kent.gov.uk/kenttest

Admissions information for 2027 entry: The Skinners’ School at 11 Plus (11+)

Registration for Year 7 entry into The Skinners’ School is made through Kent County Council rather than the school directly, and closes at midnight at the start of July 2026. Your son sits the Kent Test once, at his own primary school if it is in Kent, or at an allocated test centre over the following weekend if it is not. Results are emailed in October 2026.

You must also submit your Common Application Form (CAF) to your home local authority by the end of October 2026, naming The Skinners’ School if you would like it considered; the order you list schools in reflects your order of preference.

National school offer day is held in March 2027. The published admission number is 160 boys: up to 140 places for the West Kent area, up to 20 for the outer area, and up to 16 Governors’ places for the highest-scoring West Kent boys not otherwise offered a place. The qualifying score is 332 overall, with no single score below 107.

How can I register my child for the 11 Plus (11+) exam at The Skinners’ School?

The Skinners’ School does not run its own registration. As with every Kent grammar school, you register your son once with Kent County Council at kent.gov.uk/kenttest before the July 2026 deadline, and his result can then be used for any Kent grammar school you name on your secondary application form.

Make sure your home address details are accurate and up to date when you register, as these are used in the school’s distance-based oversubscription criteria if West Kent places are oversubscribed.

What is the 11 Plus (11+) entrance exam format for The Skinners’ School?

• Paper 1 (English and maths): one hour, including a short practice exercise before each timed section. English includes a comprehension exercise; maths covers the Year 5 curriculum at pace.
• Paper 2 (reasoning): around one hour including practice sections, split between verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.
• Writing exercise: 40 minutes, including 10 minutes of planning. It does not count towards the score but may be considered if a borderline result goes to a headteacher assessment panel.

Your son receives three standardised scores, one each for English, maths and reasoning, adjusted slightly for his age so that younger children in the year group are not disadvantaged.

How to prepare your child for the 11 Plus (11+) The Skinners’ School exam

Because West Kent is competitive and the Kent Test result is used across every grammar school you list, the aim is to help your son reach the highest score he comfortably can, not just clear the threshold. Verbal and non-verbal reasoning are the areas that benefit most from practice, since they are rarely taught in primary school.

Full, timed practice tests under exam conditions are the most reliable way to build both accuracy and exam-day confidence, alongside plenty of wider reading to support the English comprehension section.

For The Skinners’ School (Kent Test) 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs: