Benenden School
Cranbrook, United Kingdom. Practice coming soon.
Independent schools · Test: ISEB Common Pre-Test, then own assessment
Benenden is an independent boarding school for girls near Cranbrook in Kent, with day pupils attached to its boarding houses. For 11+ entry a girl attends a Preview Day and sits the ISEB Common Pre-Test in the autumn of Year 6, and the school makes firm offers in December. The same test is used for 12+ and 13+ entry, with 13+ girls assessed in Year 6 for Year 9.
Key facts
checked 19 October 2026
- Selective entry
After the Preview Day, the ISEB Common Pre-Test and the reference from the current school, the school makes firm offers of 11+ places in December. Year 10 and Sixth Form places go on competitive exams, an interview and a school report.
- School type
Independent boarding school for girls, a senior school with a sixth form. It runs a full boarding model in which most pupils board, and day pupils belong to one of the ten boarding houses.
- Founded
1923
How does Benenden School decide entry?
Benenden is an independent boarding school for girls near Cranbrook in Kent, with day pupils attached to its boarding houses. Entry point covered: Year 7 (11+); Year 8 (12+, limited places); Year 9 (13+, assessed in Year 6); Year 10 (14+, small competitive entry); Sixth Form (16+, small competitive entry). Facts last checked on 19 October 2026.
At a glance
Last checked 19 October 2026. Every fact is from the school’s own pages unless marked Reported by prep providers or Our view
- Selective entry
After the Preview Day, the ISEB Common Pre-Test and the reference from the current school, the school makes firm offers of 11+ places in December. Year 10 and Sixth Form places go on competitive exams, an interview and a school report.
- School type
Independent boarding school for girls, a senior school with a sixth form. It runs a full boarding model in which most pupils board, and day pupils belong to one of the ten boarding houses.
- Founded
1923
- Location
Benenden, near Cranbrook in Kent, TN17 4AA
- Age range and size
The inspectors list ages 10 to 19 and 480 pupils, of whom 425 board (October 2025).
- Regulator inspection
Routine ISI inspection, 7 to 9 October 2025: the standards for leadership and governance, quality of education, wellbeing, social and economic education, and safeguarding were all met. The inspectors called the school's non-examined courses a significant strength.
- Entry points
Normal entry is in September at 11+, 12+ or 13+, with a small competitive entry at 14+ (Year 10) and 16+ (Sixth Form).
- Year your child must be in now
For 11+ entry in September 2027, and for 13+ entry in September 2029, Year 6 in autumn 2026. For 11+ entry in September 2028, Year 5 now.
- Places or intake
The entry pages do not publish the number of places at any entry point. The whole school has 480 pupils (ISI, October 2025).
- Assessment stages, 11+
Three stages after registration: a Preview Day (multi-subject academic activities, a creative writing assessment and an interview), the ISEB Common Pre-Test, and academic scholarships awarded from the whole process, with no separate 11+ scholarship exam.
- ISEB Pre-Test window
11+ entry in 2027: after the Preview Day and by Friday 13 November 2026. 13+ and 12+ entry: between 1 and 31 October in Year 6. Sat at the girl's current school or a recognised testing centre in the UK or overseas.
- Registration deadline, next entry year
By the end of UK Year 5 for 11+ (two years ahead recommended) and for 13+ (four years ahead recommended). The page gives no calendar date.
- Registration fee
£420.00 including VAT on Form A, for the main admissions list. Form B, for waiting list or bursary applicants, has no fee.
- Registration fee, waiting list route
Where a girl applies through Form B for one of the final places, the school asks for the registration fee only if it can move her name to the main admissions register.
- Deposit on accepting a place
A deposit is due when an 11+ place is accepted, by Monday 1 March 2027 for 2027 entry. The amount is not published on the pages read.
- Tuition, 2026/27
Boarding £21,300 per term including VAT; day £15,400 per term including VAT. Fees for the 2027/28 entry year were not published when we checked; the school says fees are reviewed each year and normally announced in June.
- Scholarships
Scholarships do not carry a fee reduction. 11+ scholarships are listed in Music and Sport; 13+ in Academic, Music, Art and Design, Sport, Drama, Creative Technology and All-Rounder. Lower School Scholarship applications for September 2027 close on 1 December 2026.
- Bursaries
Means-tested. Bursary forms must be in by 1 September of the academic year in which the girl sits the entrance exams or pre-test. An 11+ Fourths Award can fund up to 100% of fees, subject to means-testing, for a girl at one of the listed local primary schools within 7.5 miles.
- Offers
11+ firm offers in December 2026 for 2027 entry. 13+ formal offers for 2029 entry are due before the end of 2026.
- Overseas candidates
The Pre-Test can be sat at a recognised testing centre overseas, for example a local British Council office.
- Overseas fee premium
Students joining from overseas into the Sixth Form pay a 10 per cent premium on the base fee before VAT: £23,390 including VAT per term for a boarding place in 2026/27.
- Boarding
A full boarding school where at least 65% of students stay in school on a Saturday night. Years 7 and 8 have their own boarding house.
The admissions journey.
Step 1By the end of UK Year 5
Register
Register on Form A (£420.00 including VAT) for the main list, or Form B if joining a waiting list or seeking a bursary. The school suggests registering two years before 11+ entry.
11+ candidates should be registered and on the provisional list by the end of UK Year 5; the school recommends two years in advance.
Form A carries a £420.00 including VAT registration fee; Form B carries none.
Step 29 June 2026
Register on the ISEB Guardian Portal
Register your daughter for the ISEB Pre-Tests yourself through the portal, which has been open since 9 June 2026; Benenden's admissions team gives the details.
The ISEB Guardian Portal opened for the 2026-27 session on Tuesday 9 June 2026, and live testing began on Tuesday 1 September 2026.
Parents register candidates for the ISEB Common Pre-Test and Benenden's admissions team gives details of how.
Step 319 September 2026
Preview Day (11+ 2027 and 13+ 2029 entry)
This day has now passed. Late entrants should contact the admissions team, who make alternative arrangements for the interview and the creative writing assessment.
The Preview Day for 11+ 2027 entry and 13+ 2029 entry was held on 19 September 2026. It is a multi-subject academic experience with a creative writing assessment and an interview, and the school requests a confidential report from the current school beforehand.
If a candidate cannot attend the Preview Day, the admissions team makes alternative arrangements for the interview and the creative writing assessment.
Step 413 November 2026
Sit the ISEB Pre-Test (11+)
Arrange the sitting at the current school or a recognised testing centre, after the Preview Day and by Friday 13 November 2026.
11+ applicants are asked to take the ISEB Common Pre-Test in the autumn term, after the Assessment Day, and by Friday 13 November 2026.
13+ and 12+ candidates take it in the autumn term of Year 6, between 1 and 31 October.
Step 514 November 2026
Open Morning
Visit if you have not already. Open events run through the year, and individual visits are possible on any weekday in term time.
Open Mornings are on Saturday 10 October and Saturday 14 November 2026 at 9.30am, with a Coffee with the Headmistress on Tuesday 24 November 2026 at 9.30am.
Step 61 December 2026
Scholarship applications close
Apply online by this date if your daughter is applying for a Lower School Scholarship, and make sure she is registered for a place in the usual way.
The closing date for Lower School Scholarship applications for September 2027 is 1 December 2026; candidates must also be registered for the School.
Step 7December 2026
Firm offers
Watch for the outcome after the Preview Day, the ISEB result and the school reference.
Following the Assessment Day, the ISEB Common Pre-Test and the reference from the current school, firm offers of 11+ places are made in December.
Step 8Spring term 2027
Taster day or sleepover
Girls with an 11+ offer are invited to try boarding life on a taster day or a sleepover.
Candidates with an 11+ offer are invited to experience boarding life through a taster day or a sleepover in the spring term.
Step 91 March 2027
Accept the place and pay the deposit
Accept the place and pay the deposit by this date.
All 11+ 2027 places must be accepted, and a deposit paid, by Monday 1 March 2027.
Step 10September 2027
Start in Year 7
Your daughter joins in September 2027. Boarders return on the first day of term; the school lists these term dates as provisional.
Provisional dates for autumn term 2027 show boarding students returning on Thursday 2 September and day students on Friday 3 September.
The assessment.
What the school says
Benenden has adopted the ISEB Common Pre-Test for 11+ entry and uses it for 13+ and 12+ entry, alongside its own Preview Day. In the school’s words: “we have adopted the ISEB Common Pre-test for 11+ entry”
ISEB describes four online, adaptive, multiple-choice tests (English, mathematics, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning) that take 2 hours 15 minutes in total.
Results are age-standardised against a sample of pupils applying to independent schools, and a child's results can be shared with every senior school that needs them, so the tests are taken once.
ISEB says the maths test follows the National Curriculum to the end of Year 5, that pen and paper are allowed for working and are not marked, and that the aim is to show potential rather than current knowledge.
ISEB says it has not supplied questions or test-player information to test-prep companies other than Bond Online Premium Plus, the only practice platform it endorses, and it advises against last-minute practice on the day.
The Preview Day is a multi-subject academic experience with a creative writing assessment and an interview, designed to be engaging and enjoyable.
The school requests a confidential report from the current school, including latest test data, before the Preview Day.
Candidates sit the Pre-Test at their current school or a recognised testing centre in the UK or overseas; parents register candidates and Benenden gives details of how.
13+ candidates are assessed in Year 6 for Year 9 entry, take the Pre-Test between 1 and 31 October and also attend the Preview Day; 12+ places are more limited and offers may depend on space.
11+ academic scholarships are awarded to the highest achievers across the whole process; there is no separate 11+ scholarship assessment.
Parent questions.
- Does Benenden use the ISEB Common Pre-Test?
Yes. The school says normal entry at 11+, 12+ or 13+ is a result of the ISEB Common Pre-Test or its own entrance or scholarship examinations, and that it adopted the Pre-Test for 11+ and uses it for 13+ and 12+.
- When does my daughter sit the Pre-Test?
For 11+ entry in 2027, after the Preview Day and by Friday 13 November 2026. For 13+ and 12+ entry, between 1 and 31 October in Year 6.
- Where is the Pre-Test sat?
At her current school or a recognised testing centre in the UK or overseas, for example a local British Council office. Parents register the candidate and the school explains how.
- What happens at the Preview Day?
A multi-subject academic experience with a creative writing assessment and an interview. The school asks the current school for a confidential report beforehand, and makes alternative arrangements if a girl cannot attend.
- When are offers made?
For 11+ entry in 2027, firm offers are made in December, and places must be accepted and a deposit paid by Monday 1 March 2027. For 13+ entry in 2029, formal offers are due before the end of 2026.
- When do we need to register?
By the end of UK Year 5, ideally two years ahead for 11+ and four years ahead for 13+. The school gives no calendar date, and says late applications are welcome.
- How much does registration cost?
£420.00 including VAT on Form A for the main admissions list. Form B, for waiting list or bursary applicants, has no fee.
- What are the fees?
For 2026/27, boarding is £21,300 per term and day is £15,400 per term, both including VAT. Fees are reviewed each year and normally announced in June.
- Are there scholarships at 11+?
The scholarships page lists 11+ awards in Music and Sport, and says awards do not carry a fee reduction. Applications for September 2027 close on 1 December 2026. The entry page also mentions 11+ academic scholarships from the whole process, so ask the school which applies.
- Is financial help available?
Yes, through means-tested bursaries, which no longer need a scholarship. Forms must be in by 1 September of the academic year in which the girl sits the entrance exams or pre-test.
- Does my daughter need to practise for the Pre-Test?
ISEB says the aim is to show potential rather than current knowledge, and that maths follows the curriculum to the end of Year 5. It suggests games and reading at home and advises against last-minute practice.
- Can we visit?
Yes. Open Mornings run on Saturdays at 9.30am, including 14 November 2026, and individual family visits are possible on any weekday in term time by contacting the admissions team.
Tell me when it opens.
The school’s own pages
Always check dates and requirements with Benenden School directly. These links open the school’s site in a new tab.
- Admissions(opens in a new tab)
- Entry and assessments(opens in a new tab)
- Registration(opens in a new tab)
- Fees(opens in a new tab)
- Open days and visits(opens in a new tab)
- Scholarships(opens in a new tab)
- Bursaries(opens in a new tab)
- Boarding(opens in a new tab)
- Term dates(opens in a new tab)
- About Benenden(opens in a new tab)
- Inspection reports and policies(opens in a new tab)
- ISI inspection report, October 2025 (PDF)(opens in a new tab)
- ISI profile(opens in a new tab)
- ISEB Pre-Tests: information for families(opens in a new tab)
Mockplan links to schools; we never ask a school to link to us, and nothing here implies endorsement. Facts last checked 19 October 2026.