Borden Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Information

Established in 1878, Borden Grammar School, is a selective Boy’s Grammar located in Sittingbourne, in Kent. The school educates pupils aged between 11 and 18 and has academy status. Although a boy’s grammar, the school does admit girls into its sixth form.

In 2006, Borden was awarded specialist school status in Sports and Modern Foreign Languages. As a result, the school received an increase in funding, which led to the development of a new library, a multi-use games area and a new private study area. The school also received a sports bursary in 2011, which was used to build a climbing wall in the gym.

11 Plus Exam Information for Borden Grammar School

Address: Borden Grammar School, Avenue of Remembrance, Sittingbourne, ME10 4DB

County: Kent

Admissions Info: [email protected], 01795 424192

School Type: Boys’ Grammar

Number of pupils: 778 (approx.)

Number of Places in Year 7: 120

Open Day Date: June

Exam Date: September

Exam Board Type: Kent 11 Plus Exam (GL)

Borden Grammar School 11 Plus Admissions

Admission to Borden Grammar School is determined by student performance in the Kent 11 Plus Test. The Borden Grammar website states that the principal behind admissions to the school is to ‘maintain the character’ of a selective school.

Borden Grammar expects its pupils to demonstrate a strong work ethic and commitment to their studies. In order to be eligible to apply for entry in Year 7, students need to have attained the required standard in terms of aptitude.

In cases where the number of applicants is greater than the spaces available at the school, Borden Grammar uses the following over-subscription criteria, giving priority to:

Children in Local Authority Care
Pupils who are eligible for free school meals
Students who already have a sibling at the school
Health and special access reasons
Students who live closest to the school

The parents of students who are not awarded a place can appeal the decision in front of an Independent Appeals Panel. Specific details of the appeals process is normally sent to parents at the same time as the offer letters.

For some general advice about appeals, take a look at our 11 Plus Appeals Advice post.

How to Apply for 11 Plus Entry to Borden Grammar School

In order to apply for Year 7 entry to the school, parents need to complete a registration form and a Common Application Form (CAF). More details about the registration process are available by contacting the school on 01795 424192, or by emailing [email protected].

Borden Grammar School 11 Plus Exam Format

Borden Grammar School follows the Kent 11 Plus exam format, which consists of tests in Reasoning, English and Maths, as well as a writing task.The test is used to assess whether your child is suitable for entry to the school and the format is used by most, but not all, of the 35 wholly selective and 4 partially selective grammar schools in the region.

The exam format is as follows:

Section 1: A one hour long exam that tests students’ reasoning abilities. Broken down into three shorter sections, the test focuses on Verbal Reasoning, Spatial Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Section 2: A one hour long exam that tests English and Maths.
Section 3:A writing task that lasts for 40 minutes, including 10 minutes’ preparation time. The writing task isn’t marked for the purposes of the 11 Plus exam but may be used as evidence for borderline cases.

Click here for a detailed breakdown of the Kent 11+ Test, including sample question.

How to Prepare for the Borden Grammar School 11 Plus Exam?

The sooner your child starts preparing for the 11 Plus exam, the more time they’ll have to improve their knowledge and exam technique. We advise creating a revision timetable with your child to ensure that they cover everything they’ll need to know for the test. A revision timetable can be as simple as a wall planner or a spreadsheet.

For more information on how to prepare for the Eleven Plus, take a look at our post Last Minute Preparation Tips for the 11 Plus Exam.

At Exam Papers Plus, we believe that the ‘little but often’ approach works best when studying for each test. Try to break down your child’s revision into small sections to ensure that they cover everything they’ll need to know. Additionally, it’s a good idea to dedicate time to improving any weak areas.

Practice exam papers can provide parents with a good indication of their child’s current abilities. Introducing practice papers early in your child’s revision will enable you to monitor their progress in the lead up to the exam.

Practice Papers for the Borden Grammar School 11 Plus Exam

We highly recommend the following resources that have been specifically designed for the Kent Test:

Full Practice Tests

11 Plus Kent Practice Test 1

11 Plus Kent Practice Test 2

11 Plus Kent Practice Test 3

For subject-specific practice:

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The information provided about Borden Grammar School was believed to be correct at the time of publishing. However, please be aware of future changes. We advise you to contact the school directly if you are unsure of anything. School contact details are provided within the post.