Your school guide
Borden Grammar School
Borden Grammar School admits boys through the Kent Test or an optional school assessment for those who also sat Kent’s test.
Grammar school · Sittingbourne, Kent
Prepare with confidence.
Use Plusling to prepare for 11+ entry to Borden Grammar School. Build skills with original questions, understand the answers and turn tricky topics into your next step forward.
Try five free questions. See the feedback for yourself.
Meet the school
At a glance
Facts checked
- Additional Borden Assessment
- Optional Quest assessment; Kent Test participation required
- Borden Grammar School and Quest Assessments
- Kent residents: secondary application deadline
- Midnight on 2 November 2026 for September 2027 entry
- Kent County Council
- Borden Free School Meals priority form
- School supplementary form due 31 October 2026 where applicable
- Borden Grammar School
Avenue of Remembrance, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 4DB
Plan your approach
Year 7 entry
For September 2027 entry
For September 2027 Year 7 entry, boys can qualify through the Kent Test. Boys who also sat the optional Borden Assessment could qualify through that additional route if unsuccessful in Kent’s process. Borden’s separate Quest assessment took place on 12 September 2026. Apply through your home local authority: Kent residents have until midnight on 2 November 2026; other authorities may have different deadlines.
- Assessment
- Kent Test
- Provider
- GL Assessment
What the assessment covers
- English
- Mathematics
- Verbal reasoning
- Non verbal reasoning
- Writing
Kent’s linked familiarisation paper reflects the GL test used for September 2027 entry; Quest-specific material for September 2028 entry is still to come.
Check each school’s admission rules before applying; a Kent Test result does not itself secure a place.
Explore this shared admissions route →
The admissions process
- Boys may qualify through Kent PESE, including the Kent Test. The 2026 Kent Test for September 2027 entry used GL Assessment; the announced county-wide Quest change starts with the 2027 test for September 2028 entry.
- The optional Borden Assessment offered an additional route for boys who had also sat the Kent Test. Its Quest parent guide specifies two paper-based multiple-choice papers: English with verbal reasoning, then mathematics with non-verbal reasoning. Each lasts approximately 60 minutes plus instructions, with a short supervised break.
- Borden’s sitting on 12 September 2026 has passed and registration is closed. The school policy said results would be posted on 15 October 2026.
- Apply through your home local authority. For Kent residents, the current KCC deadline is midnight on 2 November 2026; families outside Kent must check their own authority’s deadline. The 2027 policy plans 150 places and applies the same oversubscription criteria to both qualifying routes. Families seeking the policy’s Free School Meals priority must also return Borden’s supplementary form by 31 October 2026.
Read the official details: Admissions information from Borden Grammar School
Go to the source
Official links for your shortlist
Use the school’s current admissions information to check which sample papers or familiarisation materials apply to your child’s entry year.
From subjects to skills
Turn the assessment subjects into a practice plan.
Start with these core skills from the published subject list. Pair the official assessment material with regular Plusling practice.
English
A useful place to start
Read a short passage together. Ask your child to find evidence for an answer and explain unfamiliar words in context.
Build on it with Plusling
Build on that reading with Plusling’s English questions and explanations, then choose a topic to practise again.
Start the 5-question English quizMaths
A useful place to start
Ask your child to explain their method, estimate the answer and check the final calculation. Notice which step needs more practice.
Build on it with Plusling
Use Plusling’s original maths questions and worked explanations to make those next practice sessions count.
Start the 5-question maths quizVerbal reasoning
A useful place to start
Talk through word relationships, letter patterns and codes. Encourage your child to explain the rule before choosing an answer.
Build on it with Plusling
Explore words and logic with Plusling’s verbal reasoning quizzes, with feedback that helps the next attempt feel clearer.
Start the 5-question verbal reasoning quizNon-verbal reasoning
A useful place to start
Look for changes in shape, position, shading and direction. Work out one rule at a time before checking it against the choices.
Build on it with Plusling
Give visual reasoning another go in Plusling, with original puzzles and explanations your child can return to.
Start the 5-question non-verbal reasoning quizPrint, practise, build confidence
Printable practice for these subjects
Original Plusling papers with space to work and separate answers and explanations.
English papers
Explore the papers
Maths papers
Explore the papers
Verbal Reasoning papers
Explore the papers
Non-Verbal Reasoning papers
Explore the papersThese are Plusling skills practice, not official school or test papers.
Keep the practical steps clear
Your application starting points
Use the official links on this page to answer these questions for your child’s entry year.
Check the entry point and eligibility
Confirm the year group, age requirements and any conditions that apply to your child.
Put the right dates in your diary
Note any published registration, assessment, application and offer-response dates that apply to your child’s route. They may be separate steps.
Check the assessment guidance
If an assessment applies, look for official examples, question formats, timings and answer instructions to help plan your child’s preparation.
Read the school’s admissions criteria
Check catchment, oversubscription rules and any supplementary form alongside the test registration.
Picture your child’s everyday life here.
An open day is a chance to look beyond the exam. Useful questions to take with you:
- How do you help new pupils settle in and make friends?
- Who can a child turn to when they feel worried or stuck?
- How do you help pupils recover from a setback and discover their strengths?
Know where to focus
Give their preparation a clear direction.
See the topics your child has practised, revisit questions that need another look and choose a focus for the next session. Plusling helps you put your time where it can be useful.
- Topic summaries and practice history
- Choose topics in Focus Practice
- Progress to discuss with the adults helping them
Their next step starts here
Give their 11+ preparation a confident start.
Try Plusling together. Five free questions, useful feedback and a first look at a friendlier way to practise.
Before you apply
- Apply through your home local authority and check its deadline. Qualifying through either test route does not guarantee an offer if the school is oversubscribed; also return any applicable Borden supplementary form.
Plusling’s guide to Borden Grammar School is independently written. The school and its admissions authority publish the official arrangements.
Contains government school-register data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Primary sources
- Borden Grammar School - Admissions & Borden Assessment Procedure Borden Grammar School
- Prepare for the Kent Test Kent County Council
- Borden Grammar School: school details Department for Education
- The Borden Assessment Procedure for Admissions to Year 7 2027 Borden Grammar School
- The Borden Assessment Procedure (Borden Test): a guide for parents and carers Borden Grammar School and Quest Assessments
- Borden Grammar School Admission Policy September 2027 Borden Grammar School
- Quest grammar assessment guidance Quest Assessments
- GL Assessment free 11+ familiarisation materials GL Assessment
- Kent Test provider changes for September 2028 entry Kent County Council
- Kent secondary school places: September 2027 application Kent County Council
- Admission to Secondary school in Kent 2027: Borden-linked KCC leaflet Kent County Council