Benenden School A GSG School
- Benenden School
Cranbrook Road
Benenden
Cranbrook
Kent
TN17 4AA - Head: Ms Rachel Bailey
- T 01580 240592
- F 01580 240280
- E registry@benenden.school
- W www.benenden.school
- An independent school for girls aged from 11 to 18.
- Read about the best schools in Kent
- Boarding: Yes
- Local authority: Kent
- Pupils: 550; sixth formers: 200
- Religion: Church of England
- Fees: Day Boarding £36,282; Boarding £50,214 pa
- Open days: See website for details
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
- Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
- ISI report: View the ISI report
What The Good Schools Guide says..
School’s focus on ‘a complete education’ may sound glib and, reckoned one parent, even be slightly ridiculed by pupils (surely not?) but is a thorough, well thought-out approach. Even the youngest fit a lot into their days, one packing a clarinet lesson into morning break with squash at lunchtime. Consensus is that ‘it’s busy but not in a bad way’. One of the warmest, most reassuring boarding experiences anywhere. Not the glitziest rooms – ‘homely and cosy rather than flashy,’ said a parent – but who cares when…
What the school says...
Founded in 1923, Benenden is a boarding school for girls aged 11-18, set in a beautiful rural position, with 224 acres of parkland. The average class size is 16, with a teacher pupil ratio of 1:7. Entry is through Common Entrance or Benenden's own examination, usually at ages 11, 13 and 16. Academic, music, art, sport, drama and design and technology scholarships are available. ...Read more
Do you know this school?
The schools we choose, and what we say about them, are founded on parents’ views. If you know this school, please share your views with us.
Please login to post a comment.
Sports
Fencing
What The Good Schools Guide says
Headmistress
Since September 2024, Rachel Bailey, previously head of senior school at Royal Masonic School for Girls, having previously been its senior deputy academic. Before that, she was assistant head teacher academic and head of sixth form at John Hampden Grammar School. She attended Badminton School for Girls and Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls and has a BSc in economics from York and PGCE from Warwick. She is also an accomplished musician and music aficionado and is passionate about equestrianism and reading.
Entrance
Oversubscribed, with around three applicants for each of 45 year 7 places; same again for 13+ admissions when there are 50 places. A few places offered at 12+ and 14+. Pupils come from numerous prep and junior schools in London and across the south-east, as well as overseas. Some parents still put daughter’s name...
Subscribe now for instant access to read The Good Schools Guide review.
Already subscribed? Login here.
Overall school performance (for comparison or review only)
Results by exam and subject
Subject results
Entry/Exit
Special Education Needs
The School employs its own SEN co-ordinator; she and her team of full time and visiting tutors offer study skills support lessons for students with special needs and provide a framework of support and identification. We have a visiting Educational Psychologist who, from time to time, diagnoses mild language disorders or mild working memory problems, which may not fall into specific disorder categories. While the School may provide monitoring for those with ADHD, Hearing and Visual problems, such cases are rare. 10-09
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Might cover/be referred to as;
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Aspergers, Autism, High functioning autism, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), PDA , Social skills, Sensory processing disorder |
|
| HI - Hearing Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Hearing Impairment, HI - Hearing Impairment |
|
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Learning needs, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty |
|
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, Sensory processing |
|
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, Genetic , OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, Tics, Tourettes |
|
| PD - Physical Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
PD - Physical Disability |
|
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, Global delay, Global developmental delay, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty |
|
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Might cover/be referred to as;
Anxiety , Complex needs, Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), Mental Health, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Trauma |
|
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
Might cover/be referred to as;
DLD - Developmental Language Disorder, Selective mutism, SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication |
|
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, Cerebral Palsy (CP) |
|
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Auditory Processing, DCD, Developmental Co-ordination Difficulties (DCD), Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Handwriting, Other specific learning difficulty, SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) |
Y |
| VI - Visual Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Special facilities for Visually Impaired, VI - Visual Impairment |
Who came from where
| School | Year | Places | Scholarships | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highfield and Brookham School | 2024 | 1 | 1 | Scholarships: 1 Design and Technology |
| Holmewood House School | 2024 | 1 | 1 | 1 drama scholarships |
| Old Buckenham Hall School | 2024 | 1 | ||
| Orchard House School | 2024 | 1 | 1 | Sport Scholarship(1) |
| Saint Ronan's School | 2024 | 2 | ||
| Spring Grove School | 2024 | 2 |
The Good Schools Guide newsletter
Educational insight in your inbox. Sign up for our popular newsletters.