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School profile Record updated 27 October 2026

Kent Kent 11+

Sir Roger Manwood's School

Manwood Road, Sandwich, CT13 9JX

A selective co-educational grammar school in Sandwich, Kent, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,016 pupils on roll.

Grammar school Co-ed Academy converter Ages 11-18 Sixth form Kent Test
2025–2026 GCSE rank ?
UK Rank #158
Year 7 places
150
Competition ?
Moderate (estimated)
Ofsted ?
Good
11+ route
Kent Test
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On this page

At a glance

Key facts

2025–2026 GCSE rank ?
UK Rank #158
Sector
Grammar school
Admissions
Mixed
Assessment
Kent Test
Places in Year 7
150
Competition ?
Moderate (estimated)
Catchment
You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
Ofsted ?
Good

Overview

Sir Roger Manwood's School is a selective, co-educational grammar school in Sandwich with a history stretching back to 1563. Its own sixth-form page describes more than 460 years since its founding, and the school still leans into the idea of education that lasts a lifetime. The current roll is about 1,016 across Years 7 to 13.

The curriculum is broad and balanced by design. In the main school, pupils work through the core grammar curriculum and can take options such as art and design, business, computer studies, design and technology, drama, languages, geography, history, music, PE and religious studies. In the sixth form, the standard pattern is three subjects across both years, with students strongly encouraged to add at least an hour of volunteering each week and complete an EPQ.

Manwood's wider life has a traditional grammar-school feel without being narrow. Official pages and records point to CCF, Duke of Edinburgh, music, drama, sport, debating, student leadership and responsibilities including Captains of School, prefect roles, Year 7 and Year 8 buddies, Sixth Form Committee, Charity Committee, Manwoodian magazine, Young Enterprise and debating. The site record also names the library, science laboratories, sports hall, all-weather pitch and music rooms.

For Year 7 entry, the published admission number is 150 and admission is through the Kent Test. Once pupils are assessed suitable for grammar school, the oversubscription rules include looked-after status, siblings, a local pupil-premium/service-premium criterion covering named CT postcodes within 8.5 miles, children of staff and then nearness to the school. Recent official benchmarks show Ofsted Good, Progress 8 of +0.21, 96.2% grade 5+ in English and maths and 14.8% AAB or better at A level.

Illustrative creative writing prompt and feedback on ideas, word choice and structure
Inside Creative Writing
11+ Creative Writing Creative writing is part of this school's current 11+ assessment.

Practise 11+ creative writing

Upload a photo, PDF or typed practice piece to get personalised feedback, specific improvements and the next skill to practise.

Open Creative Writing

Key points
Assessment route
Kent Test: 3 papers, covering English, Maths, Verbal reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning and Writing task.
Places and demand
150 places in Year 7 and Moderate (estimated)
Catchment
You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
Results
75.8% grade 5+ in English and maths and 59 Attainment 8
Sixth form
Sixth form available with 14.8% AAB or better and 53.8% in higher education.

GCSE benchmark

Latest 2025/26 KS4 measures compared with Kent and England.

School Local authority England
GCSE benchmark comparison Latest GCSE benchmark measures for Sir Roger Manwood's School, Kent, and England. 0 50 100 Att. 8 5+ E&M
Attainment 8
59
Grade 5+ English and maths
75.8%

Attainment 8 trend

Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Kent and England.

School Local authority England
Attainment 8 trend line Attainment 8 over time for Sir Roger Manwood's School, Kent, and England. 80 66.7 53.3 40 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 25/26

Destinations

Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Kent and England.

Education Apprenticeships Employment Other / unknown
Destinations stacked bar comparison Year 11 destinations for Sir Roger Manwood's School, Kent, and England across education, apprenticeships, employment, and other or unknown destinations. 0 50 100 School Local auth. England

School details
Sector
Grammar school
School type
Academy converter
Application
Local authority CAF
Gender
Mixed
Age range
11-18
Headteacher
Mr Ben Pennells
Pupil roll
981 pupils
Sixth form
Yes
Trust
Sir Roger Manwood's School
FSM ?
12.9%
EAL ?
5.5%
EHCP ?
0.4%

Facilities

Library

Extracurriculars

Drama Duke of Edinburgh

School statistics

Ethnicity

Pupil ethnicity

Whole-school roll of 981 pupils; 968 had a recorded ethnic group.

White 86.9% Asian 3.5% Mixed 6.7% Black 1% Other 0.5% Unclassified 1.3%

Location and contact

Address

Address
Manwood Road, Sandwich, Kent
Postcode
CT13 9JX
Area
Kent
Exam area
Kent 11+

School leadership

Headteacher
Mr Ben Pennells

School contact

School email
Letting@srms.kent.sch.uk
School phone
01304610200

Admissions contact

Admissions team
Admissions and Administration Officer
Admissions contact
Mrs. Mottershead
Admissions email
Letting@srms.kent.sch.uk
Admissions phone
01304610200
Open in Map Open school website

Admissions
Year 7 places
150 places
Applications listed
412 applications (2026 entry)
First preferences
147 first preferences (2026 entry)
Competition ?
Moderate (estimated)
Catchment
You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
Pass mark note
For the 2026 Kent Test (2027 entry), grammar-school assessment requires an aggregate score of at least 345, with no individual score below 111. Qualification does not guarantee a place. School-specific alternative tests have their own standards.

Entry is through the Kent Test, with statutory priority, sibling priority, a local pupil premium criterion, staff priority and distance used for oversubscription.

The 2027 criteria include a local pupil premium priority for CT3, CT11, CT12, CT13, CT14, CT15 or CT16 applicants within 8.5 miles. Other eligible applicants can still be ranked by distance.

Oversubscription and eligibility

  1. 1

    Looked after and previously looked after children

    Eligible children meeting the statutory looked-after or previously looked-after definition.

  2. 2

    Siblings

    Siblings on roll at the time of entry.

  3. 3

    Pupil premium within local postcode/radius area

    Pupil premium or service premium applicants in CT3, CT11, CT12, CT13, CT14, CT15 or CT16 and within 8.5 miles.

  4. 4

    Children of staff

    Children of qualifying staff employed for at least two years or recruited to a shortage post.

  5. 5

    Nearness to school

    Remaining eligible applicants are ranked by straight-line distance to the school.

  6. 6

    Random allocation tie-break

    Random allocation applies where equal distance/eligibility cannot otherwise separate the last place.

Admissions policy

Sir Roger Manwood's School admissions criteria 2027-2028

2027 entry

Exam and test format
September 2027 entry

Two multiple-choice papers and a separate writing exercise.

Test provider
GL Assessment
Format
Multiple choice and written answers
Scores
Age-standardised

Papers and timings

  • English and mathematics English · Maths Multiple choice
    60 min Includes two 5-minute practice exercises.
  • Reasoning Verbal reasoning · Non-verbal reasoning Multiple choice
    Approx. 60 min Includes practice sections.
  • Writing exercise Written answers
    40 min Includes 10 minutes for planning.

What the test includes

  • EnglishComprehension and literacy skills.
  • Maths
  • Verbal reasoning
  • Non-verbal reasoning
  • Writing taskUsed for headteacher assessment; outside the standardised score.
Official test guidance
Changes for 2028 entry
2028 entry · Quest Assessments

Quest Assessments will provide the Kent Test from the September 2027 tests for 2028 entry.

Kent County Council says the test’s purpose, structure and timing will remain unchanged.

Official 2028 guidance ↗

Official exam resources

Past papers and practice materials

No released past entrance-test papers are currently verified here. The resources below are labelled by type.

Kent Test test guide

Application

Key dates

Get date reminders
Find open days and plan a visit

  1. Kent Test registration opens

    1 June 2026

    Past

  2. Kent Test registration closes

    1 July 2026

    Past

  3. Kent Test for pupils in Kent primary schools

    10 September 2026

    Past

  4. Kent Test for pupils not in Kent primary schools

    Weekend of 12/13 September 2026

  5. Kent assessment decision sent to parents

    15 October 2026

    Past

  6. Kent secondary application deadline

    2 November 2026, Kent residents

    Kent residents apply through Kent County Council. Families outside Kent must meet their home local authority deadline.

  7. National Offer Day

    1 March 2027

  8. Kent application changes deadline

    7 December 2026

    Deadline for on-time changes to Kent applications to be considered on National Offer Day.

  9. Kent offer acceptance deadline

    15 March 2027

    Kent residents must accept or refuse the offered school place by this date.

  10. Kent on-time appeal deadline

    13 April 2027

    For schools named on the original Kent application; check the school appeal instructions.

  11. Kent reallocation offer day

    27 April 2027

    Kent County Council reallocates places from waiting lists.

How to apply

  1. 1

    Check the school's 2027 admissions criteria

    Use the school criteria for the PAN, local priority area, supplementary information, and tie-break rules.

    Read criteria
  2. 2

    Register for the Kent Test

    Kent Test registration opens on 1 June 2026 and closes on 1 July 2026.

    View Kent scheme
  3. 3

    Sit the Kent Test

    Kent primary-school pupils test on 10 September 2026; non-Kent primary-school pupils test over the weekend of 12 and 13 September 2026.

    View Kent dates
  4. 4

    Submit the secondary application

    Kent residents submit the SCAF by 2 November 2026; non-Kent families use their home authority form.

    View application scheme

Official admissions documents

Admissions policy

Sir Roger Manwood's School admissions criteria 2027-2028

2027 entry

Key dates

Kent secondary admissions scheme 2027/28

2027 entry

Results

Inspection
View report
Good

Latest inspection: 28 September 2022

Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Sixth form provision
Good

Quick summary

  • Overall effectiveness: Sir Roger Manwood's School was rated Good overall. The report describes pupils who enjoy learning, attend regularly and value staff support, with an ambitious curriculum and strong careers advice, while highlighting some curriculum sequencing and sixth-form safety education gaps.
  • Quality of education: The curriculum was ambitious and varied, including the sixth form, and leaders were strengthening the English Baccalaureate. Most subjects were well ordered, but some foundation subjects needed clearer sequencing and more consistent assessment of the key knowledge pupils should learn.
  • Behaviour and attitudes: Pupils enjoyed school, attended regularly and worked hard to meet expectations. They were respectful, acted as positive role models and knew staff would support them, with infrequent bullying managed through established systems.
  • Personal development: The school offered clubs, Duke of Edinburgh opportunities and curriculum-linked trips, such as visiting Berlin to deepen Cold War understanding. Trips were planned to be accessible, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, and careers advice was independent and strong.
  • Leadership and management: Leaders and governors promoted safeguarding and made timely referrals where support was needed. Staff were committed to adapting learning for pupils with SEND, though the report noted that some safeguarding records could be organised more efficiently.
  • Sixth form provision: Sixth-form provision was Good, with students benefiting from the ambitious Year 7 to 13 curriculum and high-quality careers advice. The report also noted a specific gap: sixth formers had not yet received enough education about harmful sexual behaviours.

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Related pages and guides

Guides and related reading

Related guides are still being added.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Which entrance tests does Sir Roger Manwood's School use?

For September 2027 entry, Sir Roger Manwood's School uses Kent Test. Check the named test and any alternative or later-stage requirements in the admissions policy.

How do I apply to Sir Roger Manwood's School?

1. Check the school's 2027 admissions criteria: Use the school criteria for the PAN, local priority area, supplementary information, and tie-break rules. 2. Register for the Kent Test: Kent Test registration opens on 1 June 2026 and closes on 1 July 2026. 3. Sit the Kent Test: Kent primary-school pupils test on 10 September 2026; non-Kent primary-school pupils test over the weekend of 12 and 13 September 2026. 4. Submit the secondary application: Kent residents submit the SCAF by 2 November 2026; non-Kent families use their home authority form.

When are the key dates for Sir Roger Manwood's School?

Kent Test registration opens: 1 June 2026. Kent Test registration closes: 1 July 2026. Kent Test for pupils in Kent primary schools: 10 September 2026. Kent Test for pupils not in Kent primary schools: Weekend of 12/13 September 2026. Kent assessment decision sent to parents: 15 October 2026. Kent secondary application deadline: 2 November 2026, Kent residents. National Offer Day: 1 March 2027. Kent application changes deadline: 7 December 2026. Kent offer acceptance deadline: 15 March 2027. Kent on-time appeal deadline: 13 April 2027. Kent reallocation offer day: 27 April 2027

What does the latest inspection picture look like for Sir Roger Manwood's School?

Sir Roger Manwood's School is currently rated Good following the latest published inspection dated 28 September 2022.