School admissions in Tunbridge Wells
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 20 of these schools also have a published admissions cutoff distance. Sorted by first preferences per place. We don't invent rankings: the order is arithmetic on a published figure, not a view about which school is better.
Tunbridge Wells in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 22 schools in Tunbridge Wells first 787 times for 779 places: 1.01 first choices per place. 6 of the 22 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 7 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.40 miles (Claremont Primary School) to 3.64 miles (Lamberhurst St Mary's CofE (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 6 schools in Tunbridge Wells first 1,443 times for 1,276 places: 1.13 first choices per place. 3 of the 6 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 2 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 2.11 miles (St Gregory's Catholic School) to 2.83 miles (Skinners' Kent Academy).
Totals for the schools listed on this page. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE; last-offer distances as the council published them.
Reception places, September 2026
22 schools. 6 received more first preferences than they had places.
First preferences per place is the number of families naming the school first, divided by its published admission number. Above 1.00 means more first choices than places. It is not a ranking and not a measure of quality: a popular school can be easy to get into and a quiet one hard, because places are allocated by each school's own criteria, siblings and faith and banding first, with distance often the last tie-breaker. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE.
Year 7 places, September 2026
6 schools. 3 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Skinners' School | 1.45 | 160 | not published |
| Bennett Memorial Diocesan School | 1.31 | 293 | not published |
| Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School | 1.31 | 174 | not published |
| Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys | 0.99 | 300 | not published |
| Skinners' Kent Academy | 0.96 | 173 | 2.833 miles |
| St Gregory's Catholic School | 0.77 | 176 | 2.107 miles |
First preferences per place is the number of families naming the school first, divided by its published admission number. Above 1.00 means more first choices than places. It is not a ranking and not a measure of quality: a popular school can be easy to get into and a quiet one hard, because places are allocated by each school's own criteria, siblings and faith and banding first, with distance often the last tie-breaker. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE.