Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School 11+ Guide 2026

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Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School (CCGS) is a co-educational selective grammar school in Ramsgate, Kent, offering 180 Year 7 places each year. Admission is via the Kent Test, which all Kent grammar schools use jointly. For families considering CCGS for 2027 entry, registration for the Kent Test closed on 1 July 2026 and the test itself takes place on 10 September 2026 (for Kent pupils) or 12-13 September 2026 (for out-of-Kent pupils). This guide covers the full admissions picture: what the test involves, what score your child needs, how the catchment area works, and how to structure preparation. For a wider overview of Kent grammar school entry, see our Kent Grammar Schools Guide 2026.

What Is Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School?

Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School was formed in September 2011 from the merger of two long-established Ramsgate grammar schools: Chatham House Grammar School, which had previously admitted boys only, and Clarendon House Grammar School, which had admitted girls only. The merger created a single co-educational selective school across three sites, all located in Ramsgate in the Isle of Thanet district of Kent.

The three sites are: the Lower School on Chatham Street (CT11 7PS), the Upper School on Clarendon Gardens (CT11 9BB), and the Sixth Form on Cavendish Street (CT11 9AL). Despite sharing the name "Chatham" — which is also the name of a different town in the Medway district of Kent — CCGS is entirely located in Ramsgate. This is a point of confusion for families who first encounter the school's name, particularly those applying from outside the area. Ramsgate is on the Kent coast, approximately 80 miles from London, making CCGS primarily a school for families based in the Thanet area and surrounding east Kent communities.

The school is an academy and operates within the Kent grammar school system alongside schools including Chatham Grammar School for Girls (in Chatham, Medway — a separate institution entirely), the Weald of Kent Grammar School, Tonbridge Grammar School, and others. CCGS is selective, meaning all Year 7 admissions are conditional on passing the Kent Test 11+ examination.

The school runs from Year 7 to Year 13 and has a Sixth Form with a range of A-level and vocational courses. Extra-curricular provision includes a CCF (Combined Cadet Force) contingent affiliated with the RAF, a Duke of Edinburgh programme, music ensembles, drama productions, and a sports programme. The school's house system preserves the identities of both predecessor schools, with paired houses named after notable figures from each.

What Is the Kent Test and How Is It Used at CCGS?

The Kent Test is the shared 11+ examination used by all grammar schools in Kent, administered by Kent County Council. Because all Kent grammar schools use the same test, a child sits the exam only once regardless of how many Kent grammar schools they are applying to. The test result is then used by each school the family lists on their Common Application Form.

The Kent Test consists of two papers and a writing task:

Paper 1 — English and Maths: This paper runs for 60 minutes and is split into two 30-minute sections. The English section is built around a reading comprehension task, with additional questions testing grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, spelling, and word relationships (synonyms, antonyms, and contextual meaning). The maths section covers the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum up to the start of Year 6 — including the four operations, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratio, area, perimeter, measurements, and times tables — but the questions are designed to be more challenging than standard school tests, rewarding children who can apply their knowledge to novel problem types. Both sections use multiple-choice format with separate answer sheets scanned electronically.

Paper 2 — Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning: This paper also runs for approximately 60 minutes and is divided into two sections of roughly equal length. Verbal reasoning tests a child's ability to solve problems using words, letters, and numbers — spotting patterns in sequences, identifying words with similar meanings, and applying logical relationships. Non-verbal reasoning uses shapes, diagrams, and spatial patterns: completing sequences, identifying which shape does not belong, and working out how shapes transform or relate. Non-verbal reasoning in particular is not routinely taught in primary schools, meaning that children who have not specifically practised it may find Paper 2 disproportionately challenging.

Creative Writing Task: A 40-minute writing exercise (including 10 minutes for planning) is completed alongside the two papers. This writing task is not included in the standardised score and does not count towards the 11+ result. However, it may be reviewed by headteacher panels in borderline cases or for appeal purposes. The writing task is still worth preparing for, particularly for children whose test scores are likely to be close to the qualifying threshold.

Each paper produces a standardised age score (SAS) calibrated against the full cohort of Kent children taking the test in that sitting. Individual paper scores range from 69 (lowest) to 141 (highest). The three scored sections (English, maths, and the two reasoning components combine into a single Paper 2 score) produce a total which CCGS requires to be at least 332 for a child to be considered eligible for a Year 7 place. For more detail on how each section is structured, see our Kent 11+ Format Guide 2026.

What Are the Key 11+ Dates and Deadlines for 2027 Entry at CCGS?

The key dates for the 2027 entry cycle are now well established. Registration for the Kent Test opened on 1 June 2026. The registration deadline was 1 July 2026. If your child did not register before 1 July, you should contact Kent County Council directly as a matter of urgency — late registrations are handled on a case-by-case basis and are not guaranteed.

The Kent Test takes place on Thursday 10 September 2026 for children currently attending a Kent primary school. Children attending primary schools outside Kent — including in London, Essex, Surrey, or elsewhere — sit the test on Saturday 12 September and Sunday 13 September 2026. You will be notified in advance of your specific venue, time, and anything your child needs to bring. The test is held at multiple venues across Kent.

Results are released to families around 15 October 2026, confirming whether your child has met the qualifying standard. If your child achieves the required score, you must name CCGS on your Common Application Form and submit it to your home local authority by 31 October 2026. This is the national secondary school application deadline and applies regardless of whether you live in Kent.

National secondary school offers are then issued on 1 March 2027. Families who receive an offer from CCGS on offers day will need to accept or decline within the timeframe set by their home local authority. Families who do not receive an offer for their preferred school may appeal — the appeal timetable for CCGS for 2026 sets the guaranteed deadline for a May hearing as 30 March 2026 for the current intake cycle.

One important practical point for families new to the Kent system: children who meet the qualifying standard are not automatically offered a place at CCGS. Meeting the threshold means your child is eligible for consideration. Places are then allocated according to the school's oversubscription criteria, described in the following section. Full admissions documentation — including the determined admissions arrangements for 2026/27 and 2027/28 — is published on the CCGS admissions page.

How Competitive Is Entry and What Score Does My Child Need?

CCGS offers 180 Year 7 places annually. The school is oversubscribed — more children who meet the qualifying standard of 332 apply each year than there are places available. This means that passing the Kent Test does not guarantee a place at CCGS. The oversubscription criteria then determine which qualifying children receive offers.

The oversubscription criteria for CCGS, applied in order, are as follows:

1. Children who are or were in local authority care (looked-after children). This category is always given first priority across all Kent grammar schools.

2. Children with health and special access reasons. Applications under this criterion must be supported by documentary evidence from an appropriate professional and are considered by the school's admissions team.

3. Children in receipt of pupil premium or service premium funding. This criterion reflects the school's commitment to widening access for children from lower-income households and families of serving military personnel.

4. Children with a sibling currently at CCGS. Sibling priority applies where a brother or sister is currently enrolled at the school and will still be a student there in September 2027.

5. Children of a permanent member of staff. Staff children are given priority in the fifth category.

6. Children living within the defined catchment areas. CCGS prioritises children resident in Thanet, Broomfield, Chestfield, Herne, Herne Bay, Reculver, Swalecliffe, and Whitstable. This covers the communities in east Kent that the school historically serves and constitutes the largest single category of successful applicants in most years. Within this criterion, places are allocated in distance order from the school.

7. All other eligible children. Any qualifying child not covered by the above criteria is placed in this final category, ranked by straight-line distance from home to school. Out-of-area children do receive offers in most years, but the number depends on how many in-area qualifying children apply. In highly competitive years, out-of-area distances at which offers are made can be very limited.

The practical implication for out-of-area families is that achieving a score well above the 332 threshold does not automatically improve your position — CCGS's criteria prioritise geography within each category, not score ranking. Unlike some selective schools that rank eligible children by score, CCGS allocates by category and then distance. If your child qualifies but lives far from Ramsgate, achieving a high score does not overcome the catchment disadvantage. Families in this position should consider whether CCGS is realistically attainable and should list other Kent grammar schools alongside it on their Common Application Form. For professional guidance on 11+ tuition planning and school selection, speak to our specialist tutors.

For families within the Thanet area, the key priority is ensuring your child achieves the qualifying score of 332. In a typical year, the proportion of eligible in-area applicants who receive offers is substantially higher than for out-of-area applicants, meaning that strong preparation to reach and exceed the qualifying threshold is the most important lever available.

What Do the Kent Test Papers Actually Test?

Understanding exactly what each section assesses allows families to direct preparation time most efficiently. Each component of the Kent Test tests a distinct set of skills, and children often have different starting-point strengths and weaknesses across the three areas.

English (Paper 1 — first 30 minutes): The English section is centred on reading comprehension. Your child will be given a passage of text — which may be fiction or non-fiction — and asked questions that test their ability to locate specific information, make inferences, understand the author's purpose, identify tone and mood, and interpret figurative language. Additional vocabulary questions test synonyms, antonyms, and the contextual meaning of unfamiliar words. Questions testing grammar and punctuation are also included — spotting errors in sentences, identifying parts of speech, and understanding how punctuation changes meaning. The English section rewards wide reading and strong vocabulary, developed over time rather than in a short revision sprint.

Maths (Paper 1 — second 30 minutes): The maths section covers Key Stage 2 content up to the start of Year 6. Core topics include the four operations with integers and decimals, fractions and percentages, ratio and proportion, area and perimeter, measures and units, time, data handling, and basic probability. The questions are designed to be harder than standard Year 6 tests — they present knowledge in unfamiliar contexts and often require multi-step reasoning. Children who have completed the Year 6 curriculum and can apply it flexibly are well positioned, but familiarity with the multiple-choice format is important: the answer must be selected from options, which means elimination strategies and checking are worth developing explicitly.

Verbal Reasoning (Paper 2 — first half): Verbal reasoning tests logical-linguistic ability using words, letters, and numbers. Common question types include: completing word sequences (where the missing word follows a pattern), analogies (e.g. "big is to small as tall is to..."), letter-number codes, finding hidden words within sentences, identifying the odd one out from a set of words, and spotting the relationship between pairs of words. These question types are rarely taught in primary school and require specific practice to become fluent. Most children who have not specifically prepared for verbal reasoning find Paper 2 significantly harder than Paper 1.

Non-Verbal Reasoning (Paper 2 — second half): Non-verbal reasoning uses shapes, diagrams, and patterns. Question types include: completing visual sequences (which shape comes next?), identifying which shape is the odd one out, working out rotations and reflections, understanding how shapes fit together or are folded, and finding the cube that matches a given net. Non-verbal reasoning is almost entirely independent of school curriculum content — it tests spatial and pattern-recognition ability directly. Children who naturally enjoy puzzles, patterns, and visual problem-solving often find this section more accessible. For those who do not, dedicated practice with timed non-verbal reasoning papers produces measurable improvements in accuracy and speed.

Creative Writing (not scored): The writing task assesses your child's ability to produce a short piece of creative writing in response to a prompt. Although unscored, it is read by panels in borderline and appeal cases. A child whose score sits close to 332 may find a well-crafted, clearly structured piece of writing helpful if their case reaches a panel. Encouraging your child to practise timed creative writing as part of their preparation is a low-cost additional element that can make a difference at the margin.

How Should Your Child Prepare for the CCGS 11+ in 2026?

Preparation for the Kent Test should begin well before September. Most families beginning in Year 4 or early Year 5 have enough time to build skills methodically without pressure. Families starting in Year 5 or Year 6 can still make significant progress with focused effort. The key is to plan systematically rather than attempting to cover everything at once.

Phase 1 — Diagnostic and baseline (6-8 months before the test): Begin by having your child attempt a representative sample of each section type — a comprehension passage, a maths paper, and a verbal and non-verbal reasoning paper — under timed conditions. Do not correct or prompt. The results will show you which areas are already strong and which need the most attention. Most children find verbal and non-verbal reasoning harder than English or maths at first, simply because they have had less exposure to these question types. Identify the specific question types within reasoning that cause the most difficulty and target those specifically.

Phase 2 — Building skills systematically (4-6 months before the test): In this phase, address identified gaps with structured practice. For English, encourage daily reading of varied texts — including newspapers, non-fiction articles, and age-appropriate novels — and practise comprehension questions and vocabulary exercises regularly. For maths, ensure full Year 5 and Year 6 curriculum coverage and practise applying knowledge in unfamiliar contexts. For reasoning, work through question-type guides systematically: spend two or three weeks on each question type in turn, reaching confidence before moving on. At this stage, practice can be done in shorter daily sessions (20-30 minutes) rather than long blocks.

Phase 3 — Timed paper practice (2-3 months before the test): From approximately June 2026 onward, shift from skills-building to full paper practice under timed conditions. Your child should attempt full papers in the format they will actually face — two 30-minute sections for Paper 1, a 60-minute Paper 2. Mark papers honestly and use the results to identify remaining weak spots. Aim for at least three to four full mock tests per month in this phase, increasing frequency to every week or two in August and early September. Use official materials and high-quality third-party resources. The most important variable in Paper 2 is speed — your child must be comfortable completing each reasoning section within the time allowed.

What not to do: Avoid leaving verbal and non-verbal reasoning preparation until the last few weeks — these skills take time to develop and cannot be crammed effectively. Avoid over-tutoring to the point of stress or disengagement, as children who go into the test anxious or exhausted typically underperform relative to their ability. And avoid focusing exclusively on practice papers without addressing the specific question types your child finds most difficult — volume of practice without targeted feedback rarely produces the same improvement as a focused diagnostic approach.

For children who need support across all three areas — or whose families cannot easily run structured preparation at home — specialist 11+ tuition is the most efficient route to a well-prepared September sitting. Our tutors at Leading Tuition work individually with each child and build preparation plans around the specific CCGS and Kent Test requirements. For more tips and resources, see our guide on Kent Grammar Schools 2026.

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