Know exactly where your child stands for The Norton Knatchbull School
Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact The Norton Knatchbull School 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact The Norton Knatchbull School 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
The Norton Knatchbull School
The Norton Knatchbull School is a boys' grammar school in Kent, using the GL exam board for its single-stage 11+ entrance exam. There is no interview stage, and the school does not charge annual fees. Its pass mark and selectivity ratio are currently unknown.
If your son is academically able and wants a real challenge, but you also want him looked after while he meets it, The Norton Knatchbull School is one of the long-established selective choices in East Kent. It is a boys' grammar of around 1,290 pupils, with a sixth form that takes girls as well as boys, and it has the calm, grounded feel parents tend to describe rather than the pressured one. Best of all for many families, it offers that academic stretch without the fees of the independent sector.
The school sits on Hythe Road in Ashford and takes its name from Sir Norton Knatchbull, a seventeenth-century politician whose family founded it. It was known simply as Ashford Grammar School until 1973, and its character today is unfussy and academic. The Good Schools Guide describes a strong pull towards science, maths and technology, alongside a settled pastoral structure that parents single out. There is plenty going on outside lessons, with rugby, football, basketball, table tennis, chess and debating, and teams that compete at district and national level. The school is happy for boys to follow their own interests rather than a fixed path. Mutual respect, compassion, integrity and trust are the values it keeps returning to, and they show in the tone of the place.
This is a good fit for a curious, capable boy who wants to be challenged in a setting that feels steady and kind. Most leavers go on to university, a fair number to the more competitive ones. Under its current leadership the school holds firmly to that mix of academic ambition and genuine pastoral care, which is what most parents say drew them to it.
Key facts
Admissions
Admissions contact
information@nks.kent.sch.uk
Admissions phone
01233 620045
Registration form
https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places/kent-test
Sibling policy
What this school tests
Kent Test
English
- Punctuation
- Reading Comprehension - Comparison
- Reading Comprehension - Evaluation
- Reading Comprehension - Grammar and punctuation
- Reading Comprehension - Inference and Deduction
- Reading Comprehension - Information Retrieval
- Reading Comprehension - Language Techniques and Imagery
- Reading Comprehension - Sentence-level Comprehension
- Reading Comprehension - Sequencing
- Reading Comprehension - Structure, Form, Voice and Tone
- Reading Comprehension - Summarising
- Reading Comprehension - Text Classification and Purpose
- Reading Comprehension - Types of Words and Phrases
- Reading Comprehension - Word Meaning / Choice
- Sentence Completion
- Spelling
Maths
- Algebra
- Angles and Degrees
- BIDMAS
- Coordinate Grids
- Estimation and Rounding
- Factors and Multiples
- Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
- Magic squares
- Measurement
- Money
- Number and Place Value
- Number Walls
- Operations
- Perimeter, Area and Volume
- Position and Direction
- Properties of Shapes
- Ratio and Proportion
- Reflection, Rotation and Symmetry
- Sequences
- Special Numbers
- Speed, Distance and Time
- Statistics
- Time
Non-verbal Reasoning
- Extended Figure Series
- Figure Analogies
- Figure Matrices
- Figure Operations
- Figure Series
- Grid Matrices
- Horizontal Codes
- Most Like Three Figures
- Most Like Two Figures
- Odd Figure Out
- Star Matrices
- Triangle Matrices
- Triangle Series
- Vertical Codes
Verbal Reasoning
- Anagrams
- Compound Words
- Embedded Words
- Form a Word
- Insert a Letter
- Letter Analogies
- Letter Calculations
- Letter Codes
- Letter Grids
- Letter Sequences
- Move 1 / 2 Letters
- Number Analogies
- Number Calculations
- Number Sequences
- Related Words
- Rhyming Synonyms
- Shuffled Sentences
- Synonyms
- Word / Logic Puzzles
- Word Analogies
- Word Completion
- Word Match
- Word Opposites
- Word Pairs
- Word Relationships
- Words and Codes
Spatial Reasoning
- 2D Rotations
- Block Counting
- Combining Shapes
- Fold and Punch
- Folding Cubes
- Hidden Shapes
- Missing Face of Cube
- Shape Completion
Catchment area
Does The Norton Knatchbull School have a catchment area?
There is no fixed catchment area. When the school is oversubscribed, places are allocated by nearness of the child's home to the school, measured in a straight line.
Selection review and safety net
Previous exam results
GCSE results
In 2025 students achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 67.3 across their GCSEs. 90.9% gained a grade 5 or better in both English and Maths. 62.5% achieved the English Baccalaureate at grade 5 or above.
Reference: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/
A-level results
In 2025 students achieved a C+ average grade per A-Level entry. 11.5% gained AAB or better including two facilitating subjects.
Reference: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/
Frequently asked questions
What exam board does The Norton Knatchbull School use for the 11+?
The Norton Knatchbull School uses the GL exam board for its 11+ entrance exam.
What is The Norton Knatchbull School's 11+ pass mark?
The 11+ pass mark for The Norton Knatchbull School is currently unknown.
Does The Norton Knatchbull School interview as part of the 11+?
No, The Norton Knatchbull School does not include an interview stage in its 11+ admissions process.
Is The Norton Knatchbull School co-educational or single-sex?
The Norton Knatchbull School is a single-sex boys' grammar school for Years 7-11. Its Sixth Form is co-educational.
What is The Norton Knatchbull School's website?
The official website for The Norton Knatchbull School is https://www.nks.kent.sch.uk/.
Does The Norton Knatchbull School have a catchment area?
The school does not have a fixed catchment area. When oversubscribed, places are allocated based on the child's home nearness to the school.
Location
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d2502.9336140435303!2d0.8903441999999999!3d51.146575299999995!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x47dedae52b998dcb%3A0xe1161d1ccd45492d!2sThe%20Norton%20Knatchbull%20School!5e0!3m2!1sen!2suk!4v1780593633280!5m2!1sen!2suk
