Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School

Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School uses the Kent Test, which is set centrally by Kent County Council and delivered by GL Assessment. This means your child will sit three papers — Verbal Reasoning, Mathematics, and English — each lasting about 50 minutes and made up of multiple-choice questions. The exam takes place in September, and you'll need to register through Kent County Council by June of Year 6. Because the Kent Test is used across all Kent grammar schools, much of the preparation is the same regardless of which school you're aiming for.

The exam is pitched at a standard level of difficulty — not among the hardest Kent grammars, but still competitive. Your child will encounter moderately challenging vocabulary in the Verbal Reasoning and English sections, including some less common words beyond everyday language, so building vocabulary is worth the effort. The Maths paper covers the Key Stage 2 curriculum with some extension, and multi-step word problems tend to be the trickiest element. Time pressure is manageable for well-prepared children, so while timed practice is important, it's not a particular worry for this school compared to others in Kent.

The English section focuses on careful reading and inference — being able to read between the lines and understand what a passage implies is more important than just spotting facts. Verbal Reasoning includes code-based and series questions, which parents often find the most challenging to teach at home. Overall, this is a school where solid, consistent preparation across all three papers will serve your child well, without needing to aim for the very top tier of difficulty that some super-selective Kent grammars demand.