Benenden School A GSG School
- Benenden School
Cranbrook Road
Benenden
Cranbrook
Kent
TN17 4AA - Head: Mrs S A Price
- T 01580 240592
- F 01580 240280
- E [email protected]
- W www.benenden.school
- An independent school for girls aged from 11 to 18.
- Read about the best schools in West Kent and East Kent
- Boarding: Yes
- Local authority: Kent
- Pupils: 560; sixth formers: 186
- Religion: Church of England
- Fees: Day Boarding £35,582; Boarding £47,400 pa
- Open days: See website for details
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
- Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
- ISI report: View the ISI report
What The Good Schools Guide says..
School’s focus on ‘a complete education’ may sound glib and, reckoned one parent, even be slightly ridiculed by pupils (surely not?) but is a thorough, well thought-out approach. Even the youngest fit a lot into their days, one packing a clarinet lesson into morning break with squash at lunchtime. Consensus is that ‘it’s busy but not in a bad way’. One of the warmest, most reassuring boarding experiences anywhere. Not the glitziest rooms – ‘homely and cosy rather than flashy,’ said a parent – but who cares when…
What the school says...
Founded in 1923, Benenden is a fully boarding school for 550 girls aged 11-18. Set in a beautiful rural position, the school has 224 acreas of parkland. There are 190 students in the Sixth Form. The average class size is 16, with a teacher pupil ratio of 1:7. Usual ages for entry are 11, 13 and 16. Entry is through Common Entrance or Benenden's own examination. Academic, Music, Art, Sport, Drama and Design and Technology scholarships are available. All girls are prepared for GCSE, AS Level, A Level and university.
Ofsted inspectors awarded Benenden Outstanding in every category. According to the Lead Inspector, the questionnaire reply rate from Benenden parents was exceptionally high and positive. The inspectors gave very warm praise to the students too. ...Read more
Do you know this school?
The schools we choose, and what we say about them, are founded on parents’ views. If you know this school, please share your views with us.
Please login to post a comment.
Sports
Fencing
What The Good Schools Guide says
Headmistress
Since 2014, Samantha Price MA. Always thought she’d like to be a headmistress and when a visionary housemistress saw her potential, she blossomed. After a degree in history of art from Edinburgh came a job in development at the Tate in London, until an ad for trainee teacher (history of art and history) proved irresistible. First teaching post at Reading Blue Coat School, then King’s Canterbury and Hereford Cathedral School. First headship at all-girls Godolphin School in Salisbury.
Her days are packed – takes assembly, meets prospective parents, staff and governors and deals with Girls’ Schools Association matters (she was the 2022-23 vice-president). Priorities when we visited included opening of first overseas incarnation of the school in south China in 2023 (no compromises on school values, promises Mrs Price). A...
Subscribe now for instant access to read The Good Schools Guide review.
Already subscribed? Login here.
Overall school performance (for comparison or review only)
Results by exam and subject
Subject results
Entry/Exit
Special Education Needs
The School employs its own SEN co-ordinator; she and her team of full time and visiting tutors offer study skills support lessons for students with special needs and provide a framework of support and identification. We have a visiting Educational Psychologist who, from time to time, diagnoses mild language disorders or mild working memory problems, which may not fall into specific disorder categories. While the School may provide monitoring for those with ADHD, Hearing and Visual problems, such cases are rare. 10-09
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder | |
| Aspergers | |
| Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders | Y |
| CReSTeD registered for Dyslexia | |
| Dyscalculia | |
| Dysgraphia | |
| Dyslexia | |
| Dyspraxia | |
| English as an additional language (EAL) | |
| Genetic | |
| Has an entry in the Autism Services Directory | |
| Has SEN unit or class | |
| HI - Hearing Impairment | |
| Hospital School | |
| Mental health | |
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty | |
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment | |
| Natspec Specialist Colleges | |
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability | |
| Other SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| PD - Physical Disability | |
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty | |
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health | |
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication | |
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty | |
| Special facilities for Visually Impaired | |
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| VI - Visual Impairment |
Who came from where
| School | Year | Places | Scholarships | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilton Grange School | 2023 | 1 | 1 | 1 Academic |
| Hill House | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Millfield Prep School | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Orchard House School | 2023 | 2 | 1 | 1 Sport Scholarship |
| Pembridge Hall School | 2023 | 1 | ||
| Saint Ronan's School | 2023 | 7 | 3 | Academic Scholarship; Art Scholarship; All Rounder Scholarship |
| St Michael's Preparatory School | 2023 | 2 | 1 | Sports Scholarship |
| Thomas's Fulham | 2023 | 1 | 1 | Sports Scholarship |
The Good Schools Guide newsletter
Educational insight in your inbox. Sign up for our popular newsletters.