Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys (TWGSB) is a

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

Royal Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, England. TWGSB Main Entrance

Founded as a technical school in 1956, TWGSB became a grammar school in 1982. The current enrolment of 1,504 pupils (of which 326 are in the sixth form) is spread across two sites: the main site in Tunbridge Wells and the annexe in Sevenoaks. The lower school is all boys (aged 11–16 years) whilst the sixth form is mixed (aged 16–18 years). Admission to the lower school is selective with pupils required to pass the

eleven-plus The eleven-plus (11+) is a standardized examination administered to some students in England and Northern Ireland in their last year of primary education, which governs admission to grammar schools and other secondary schools which use academic ...

selection test administered by Kent County Council. Successful pupils fall within the top 25 per cent of the ability range upon entrance. The current Headteacher, Amanda Simpson, was appointed in September 2017. Preceded by Simon Marsh (Acting Headteacher, January 2017 - August 2017), John Harrison (September 2006 - December 2016), and Derek Barnard (September 1988 - August 2006).

Academic

TWGSB offers a broad range of subjects at both GCSE and A-Level. The vast majority of boys remain at the school after completing their

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...

s in order to undertake A-Levels. In September 2007, TWGSB became a

humanities college Humanities Colleges are a type of specialist school introduced in 2004 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary and primary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, humanities ...

and received: (a) a one-off sum towards a capital project, (b) recurring funding towards developments, and (c) recurring funding towards community developments. The most recent OFSTED Report, dated November 2021, assessed the school's overall effectiveness as "Good".

School identity

The school's Latin motto, ''Faber est quisque suæ fortunæ'', means 'Every man is the maker of his own fortune'. All pupils are assigned a house upon entering the school. The four houses, named after local stately homes and castles, are: Ightham (Red), Knole (Yellow), Hever (Green), and Scotney (Blue). The houses compete throughout the year for the House Cup (awarded to the house with the highest number of house points) and the Sports Cup (awarded to the house that wins sports day). The school's prefect system delegates the enforcement of rules of conduct to Sixth Formers.

Facilities

As part of a £7.5 million expansion project, TWGSB embarked on a significant redevelopment. At the Tunbridge Wells site, new buildings and improvements include: * A two-storey teaching centre for maths, ICT, and food tech. * A purpose-built Sixth Form Centre. * A reconfigured Main Building with expanded dining hall. * A six-court Sports Centre The school also has its own cricket, rugby, football and softball pitches and a new 3G pitch. In addition to the above, TWGSB also opened an annexe in Sevenoaks

Extracurricular activities

TWGSB offers a large range of clubs and societies (including sports, drama, and music), and also has a school orchestra and jazz band. The school's magazine, 'Eclectics', is published annually. TWGSB competes in several sports and runs a number of teams. There are two student councils: the School Council and the Sixth Form Council.

Notable former pupils

* Rt. Hon. Nick Brown, MP for

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, actor,

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* Dr Brian Coppins, botanist and lichenologist * Martin Corry, England rugby captain and Leicester Tiger *

Luke Howell Luke Alexander Howell (born 5 January 1987) is an English footballer who plays for side St Ives Town, where he plays as a midfielder. Career Gillingham Educated at Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys, he signed a two-year scholarship deal ...

, professional footballer with

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, comedian

References

External links

*
Alumni

Ofsted site
{{Authority control Grammar schools in Kent Boys' schools in Kent Schools in Royal Tunbridge Wells Educational institutions established in 1956 1956 establishments in England Community schools in Kent *