~150 places, Kent Test aggregate 332, September 2026 — Canterbury's boys' grammar with a joint co-educational sixth form
Book a Free ConsultationSimon Langton Grammar School for Boys is a selective boys' grammar school for students aged 11 to 18, located on Old Dover Road in Canterbury, Kent (CT1 3EH). It admits approximately 150 students into Year 7 each year via the Kent Test (also known as the Kent Selection Test), administered by GL Assessment. Entry requires achieving the Kent Test qualifying aggregate of 332 with no individual component below 107. Simon Langton Boys shares a campus with Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School and both schools operate a distinctive joint sixth form, where A-level teaching is co-educational. This guide covers the Kent Test format, 2026 key dates, catchment area, and what makes Simon Langton Boys distinctive.
The Kent Test is the selective entrance assessment used for entry to Kent's state grammar schools, including Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys. It is administered by GL Assessment using three assessed components: verbal reasoning, mathematics, and a writing task. All three components are age-standardised before being combined into an aggregate score.
The qualifying aggregate for Kent grammar schools is 332. A child who scores 332 or above in total — but also meets the minimum threshold of 107 in each individual component — is considered to have passed the Kent Test. A child who scores, say, 330 in verbal reasoning and maths combined but only 100 in writing has not passed, even though their total might appear sufficient, because the per-component minimum applies. Both conditions must be met: aggregate ≥ 332 and every individual component ≥ 107.
Passing the Kent Test grants eligibility to apply to Kent grammar schools — it does not guarantee a place at any specific school. When Simon Langton Boys is oversubscribed with qualifying students, places are allocated using the school's oversubscription criteria, with catchment residency and distance playing a key role.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Year 7 places | ~150 |
| School type | Boys' selective grammar school (ages 11–18); joint co-ed sixth form |
| Location | Old Dover Road, Canterbury, CT1 3EH |
| Test | Kent Test (GL Assessment), three components |
| Kent Test components | Verbal reasoning, Mathematics, Writing task |
| Qualifying aggregate | 332 (and min. 107 in each component) |
| Kent Test date | September 2026 (confirm exact date with Kent County Council) |
| Registration deadline | Approx. late July 2026 (confirm with Kent County Council) |
| Results | Typically late October 2026 |
| CAF deadline | 31 October 2026 |
| National Offer Day | 1 March 2027 |
| Sixth form | Joint co-educational sixth form with Simon Langton Girls' |
Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys has a defined admissions policy that prioritises qualifying students based on geographic criteria. The school's admissions policy and area map are published annually on the school website and should be consulted for the current entry cycle. The school serves Canterbury and surrounding east Kent.
When oversubscribed with qualifying students, the priority order follows the standard Kent grammar school framework: first, looked-after and previously looked-after children; second, children with exceptional medical or social need; third, siblings of current students; fourth, students in the school's defined priority area ranked by distance; fifth, all other qualifying students ranked by distance. Families in Canterbury city and surrounding areas designated in the school's priority map are in the strongest position when places are contested.
A notable feature of the Langton Boys admissions situation is that the school sits on the same site as Langton Girls — so both schools share the same address, but each maintains separate admissions with separate criteria. A family with a son targeting Langton Boys and a daughter targeting Langton Girls would submit two separate preference entries on the common application form, each governed by that school's respective policy. The sibling rule at each school applies only to current students of that same school.
Families from outside Kent — including those in parts of East Sussex — can apply to Simon Langton Boys provided their child has passed the Kent Test. They must register for the Kent Test manually, as automatic registration applies only to children at Kent state-funded primary schools. The manual registration deadline is typically in late July; families outside Kent should check Kent County Council's admissions website for the confirmed 2026 date.
Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys is consistently oversubscribed. Canterbury's grammar schools attract applications from across east and mid-Kent, and Simon Langton Boys — with its combined-site advantage and strong academic reputation — is a competitive destination for families across a wide catchment. Approximately 5,000+ children sit the Kent Test each year in the east Kent area, and a significant proportion list Simon Langton Boys as a preference.
The 150 places figure means the school is one of the smaller grammar schools in Kent, which makes it more selective in practice. Families with children living in Canterbury itself — within the school's priority area — are better positioned than those travelling from, say, Whitstable or Faversham, who fall into the distance-ranked tier. However, even within Canterbury, children who score marginally above the 332 threshold may be edged out in distance-ranked competition if the qualifying pool is large relative to 150 places.
The practical recommendation is the same as for every Kent grammar school: score clearly above 332, not just at it. A score of 340+ provides more security. A score of 350+ places a child comfortably in range for most Canterbury grammar schools. This is not simply about the school requiring a higher score — it's about the child's position in the distance-ranked oversubscription tier relative to the number of places available once higher-priority criteria are applied.
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The joint sixth form with Simon Langton Girls. The most unusual feature of Simon Langton Grammar for Boys is that from Year 12, students study A-levels in a joint sixth form shared with Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School. This means students experience a single-sex boys' grammar school environment in Years 7 to 11, then transition to a co-educational A-level environment in the sixth form. This combination — single-sex for GCSE, co-educational for A-levels — suits many families who value both elements and want a managed transition between them. The sixth form is well-regarded academically and students regularly progress to Russell Group universities.
Central Canterbury location. The school's position on Old Dover Road places it within easy access of Canterbury city centre and Canterbury West and Canterbury East railway stations. This makes it accessible for students from a wide area — Whitstable (15 minutes by train), Faversham (20 minutes), Margate (35 minutes), and other towns across east Kent all have viable daily commutes. The school's location in one of England's most historically significant cities also provides cultural and institutional richness that influences the school's character.
Strong academic tradition. Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys has a long history of academic achievement in Canterbury. GCSE and A-level results are consistently strong, and the school sends students to Oxford, Cambridge, and Russell Group universities each year. Science, mathematics, and humanities are all well-represented among sixth form leavers' destinations.
Comparison with other Canterbury grammar schools. Families in Canterbury considering grammar school options will typically evaluate Simon Langton Boys alongside Simon Langton Girls' (for daughters), The King's School (independent, co-educational), and other east Kent grammar schools such as Barton Court Grammar School and Chaucer Technology School. For boys specifically in Canterbury, Simon Langton Boys and Barton Court Grammar School for Boys are the two boys' grammar school options.
The Kent Test covers three areas that each require specific preparation strategies. Families who start in Year 4 or 5 and work systematically through all three components are consistently better prepared than those who begin late or who focus only on verbal reasoning.
Verbal reasoning uses GL Assessment question formats: letter codes, word analogies, number sequences embedded in letter patterns, missing letter sequences, odd-one-out with words, and related types. These formats are fully learnable with deliberate practice. Children who have been explicitly taught each format — including the underlying rule and common distractors — score significantly higher than those who have only done practice papers without instruction.
Mathematics covers the KS2 curriculum with a problem-solving emphasis. Multi-step word problems, fractions, percentages, ratio, area and perimeter, angles, and data handling are all tested. Speed under timed conditions is the decisive factor among children with equivalent curriculum knowledge. Progressive timed practice — first untimed, then lightly timed, then full timed conditions — is the most effective path.
Writing is assessed holistically against criteria that reward clear structure, accurate spelling, good punctuation and grammar, and appropriate vocabulary. Children who practise writing to a prompt under timed conditions — covering narrative, descriptive, and discursive styles — perform better than those who only write freely in school. The writing component is the one most families underestimate and underinvest in during preparation.
For a full breakdown of the Kent Test format, see our Kent 11+ format guide 2026. For an overview of all Kent grammar schools, including catchment areas and selection criteria, see our Kent grammar schools guide 2026. For general grammar school preparation strategy, see our complete grammar school preparation guide.
Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys admits approximately 150 students into Year 7 each year. All places are filled via the Kent Test, which is sat in September of Year 6. Children who achieve the qualifying aggregate score of 332 — and no individual component below 107 — are eligible to apply to Simon Langton Boys and all other Kent grammar schools. Where more qualifying students apply than there are 150 places, the school's oversubscription criteria — including defined Canterbury catchment areas and distance to school — determine who receives an offer.
Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys uses the county-wide Kent Test qualifying standard. The Kent Test pass mark is an aggregate score of 332 across the three components (verbal reasoning, mathematics, and writing), with no individual component below 107. These scores are age-standardised. Achieving the qualifying standard makes a child eligible to apply to Simon Langton Boys and all Kent grammar schools, but does not guarantee a place if the school is oversubscribed. Scoring above the minimum threshold significantly improves a child's position in the distance-ranked oversubscription tier.
Yes. Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys has a defined catchment area covering Canterbury and surrounding parts of east Kent. Qualifying students who live in the catchment are prioritised over out-of-catchment applicants when places are oversubscribed. The full admissions policy and catchment boundary map are published annually on the school's website and on Kent County Council's admissions pages. Families in Canterbury city itself are generally well-placed for catchment priority, while those in outlying areas should verify their exact status against the current boundary map.
Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys and Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School share the same site on Old Dover Road in Canterbury. They are two separate schools with separate governance, headteachers, staff, and Ofsted inspections. However, the sixth form at both schools operates as a joint sixth form, meaning boys and girls study A-levels together in a co-educational environment from Year 12 onwards. This is a distinctive feature of both Langton schools and means students experience a single-sex grammar environment in Years 7 to 11, followed by a co-educational A-level setting from Year 12.
For September 2027 Year 7 entry, the Kent Test is held in September 2026. Registration typically closes in late July — families should check Kent County Council's website for the exact 2026 registration deadline. Children not at a Kent state-funded school must register manually. Results are typically released in late October 2026. The common application form must be submitted to Kent County Council by 31 October 2026. School offers are issued on National Offer Day, 1 March 2027. Verify exact dates with Kent County Council, as the test date and registration deadline are confirmed annually.
Leading Tuition provides specialist Kent Test preparation for Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys and all Kent grammar schools. The Kent Test covers verbal reasoning, mathematics, and writing — and our tutors are experienced with GL Assessment's question formats and the age-standardised scoring system. We work with students from Year 4 upwards, building systematic preparation well before the September test. We are rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot by parents whose children have secured grammar school places. For a tailored preparation plan for the Kent Test, book a free consultation or message us on WhatsApp.
Leading Tuition provides specialist Kent Test preparation — verbal reasoning, maths, and writing. We understand GL Assessment's formats and the age-standardised scoring system. Rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot.
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