Tonbridge School Registration: Key Dates and Deadlines

Tonbridge School takes its main intake at 13+, into Year 9, but the registration deadline falls years earlier than the entry date. The school asks families to register by 1 September, and it encourages applications when a boy is in Year 5, well before the assessment process begins in Year 6. Miss that window and the main route can close. This guide sets out when to register, what the registration involves, and where it sits in Tonbridge's wider admissions timeline.

When to register for Tonbridge School

Tonbridge's main entry point is 13+, when your son joins Year 9, but the school assesses boys in Year 6, so registration needs to be in place well before then. Tonbridge sets a registration deadline of 1 September and encourages families to apply by the 1 September of the year their son joins Year 6, which in practice means starting the process while he is in Year 5, around the age of ten. The initial assessments then take place during the Autumn term of Year 6. Tonbridge is a popular and selective boys' school with a finite number of places, so registering in good time genuinely matters. Registration commits you to nothing, but without it your son cannot enter the assessment process for his year of entry.

The early timing catches some families out, particularly those new to boarding or moving into the area, who often begin looking at senior schools in Year 7 or later. If Tonbridge is on your list at all, treat Year 5 as the time to act.

How to register

Registration is completed online. You complete the school's registration form and pay the non-refundable registration fee of £350, including VAT, which places your son on the list for assessment in his year of entry. As part of the process Tonbridge asks parents to register their son separately with the ISEB so that he can sit the Common Pre-Test, which is the first formal assessment stage, and the school also requests a report from his current school. If your son is later offered and you accept a place, an admissions fee is payable to confirm it. It helps to let your son's current school know early that Tonbridge is the goal, since the school report carries weight and a teacher who is expecting the request can give a fuller account. The full cost picture is set out in our Tonbridge School fees guide.

The assessment waves

Tonbridge assesses its Year 6 candidates in waves across the year rather than on a single date. In practice this means an earlier wave in the autumn, roughly September to December, and a later wave in the new year, roughly January to April. All applicants must complete the ISEB Common Pre-Test, which Tonbridge asks to be done by 1 December, and attend an assessment afternoon at the school, which may fall before or after the Pre-Test depending on the wave. Registering early gives you the best choice of timing and avoids your son being pushed into a later wave by default. Our guide to the Tonbridge assessment explains the Pre-Test and the assessment afternoon in full.

Overseas applicants

Tonbridge welcomes applications from families based overseas, and the broad route to a 13+ place is the same, with the ISEB Common Pre-Test taken at an approved test centre where a boy is not at a UK school. Boarding suits an international application well, since your son boards full time regardless of where the family is based. Overseas families should confirm the exact arrangements, including any additional deposit and the practicalities of sitting the Pre-Test abroad, directly with the admissions office, as these can change. Registering early matters even more from overseas, since it gives time to arrange testing and travel around the assessment afternoon.

The full Tonbridge admissions timeline

Boys who receive a provisional offer are invited back in Year 7 for a further stage before the place is confirmed. Our full guide to getting into Tonbridge School walks through every step in detail.

Common registration mistakes

The most common mistake is leaving registration until Year 6 or later, by which point the main window has closed, since Tonbridge wants applications in by the 1 September before Year 6. If Tonbridge is on your list, act in Year 5. The second mistake is forgetting that registering for the ISEB Pre-Test is a separate step that parents must complete themselves. The third is leaving the current school unbriefed, when Tonbridge relies on a report that is far stronger when the school has notice rather than being asked at the last minute.