Sir Roger Manwood’s School 11 plus is a popular grammar option for families in and around Sandwich. You might be weighing it up alongside Canterbury or Dover routes, or checking how realistic it is from your postcode. Either way, it helps to separate two things early. First, what your child needs to do to be assessed as grammar suitable. Second, how Sir Roger Manwood’s School admissions rules decide who is offered a place when more children qualify than there are places.
Sandwich is small enough that routines matter. The school run can look very different depending on whether you are coming from Deal, Dover, Thanet, or inland villages, and the school’s proximity to Canterbury can pull families in two directions. A calm first step is to keep your shortlist simple, then test it against travel time and oversubscription reality rather than hope. This usually reduces stress at home and helps children stay steady.
If you are building a shortlist and want a clear way to compare schools without overload, this can help keep things practical: how to choose a grammar school shortlist.
| Item | Detail |
| School type | Selective grammar school with mixed entry |
| Selection route | Kent age selection procedure |
| Published admission number for Year 7 | 150 |
| How offers are decided | Oversubscription criteria apply when more children qualify than places available |
| Location |
Your child must be entered for the Kent selection process during the normal registration window for their year group. The clearest starting point is the kent Test registration information, which explains eligibility, test locations, and arrangements for children not attending a Kent primary school.
Most children sit the assessments through their school under exam-style conditions. It helps to frame this as skills checking rather than a personality test. A child can feel nervous and still perform well if the routines are familiar.
Kent routes provide an assessment outcome that helps you judge whether a grammar application is realistic. If the outcome is not what you hoped for, it is still possible to build a strong secondary plan. Often the best next step is keeping learning steady while maintaining a balanced school list.
Even when a school uses a test-based route, you still apply through your home local authority for Year 7. In a grammar school application UK, this is a separate task with its own deadlines and rules, not something that happens automatically after testing.
Offers are released through the coordinated admissions system on national offer day. After that, families usually move quickly from emotions to practicalities like travel planning, uniform, and what a normal homework week might feel like. A realistic practice journey at a normal time of day often builds confidence faster than reassurance.
For official exam dates, use the school admissions timeline page.
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Kent Test registration opens | June before the September of entry |
| Secondary application deadline | 31 October in the year of application |
| National offer day | 1 March |
| Waiting list held at least until | First day of the Spring Term in the admission year |
Sir Roger Manwood’s School admissions rules matter most when the school is oversubscribed. The published priority order is clear and worth reading slowly, because it shows what comes before distance.
Places are offered first to children with an Education Health and Care Plan naming the school, then to looked after and previously looked after children, followed by children with a sibling on roll for the year of entry.
Next comes priority for children in receipt of Pupil Premium who live within CT3, CT11, CT12, CT13, CT14, CT15 or CT16 and within a defined radius of the school. This is an area where families are often surprised, because being assessed as grammar suitable and being offered a place are not the same decision. If this category may apply, check eligibility early and keep evidence organised.
Further priorities include children of staff in defined circumstances, followed by allocation by straight-line distance from home to school using National Land and Property Gazetteer address points. Where distances are identical, random allocation is used.
Appeals are a safety net rather than a plan A. Admissions authorities must apply rules consistently, in line with Department for Education guidance on admissions arrangements. A parent-friendly explanation of appeals is available in the Parentkind guide to appealing a secondary school allocation.
Sir Roger Manwood’s School uses the Kent selection process, so preparation should match the skills and timing of that system. Most families focus on three key strands:
Practising with realistic question formats helps the assessment feel familiar. Many families start with the GL Assessment free familiarisation materials. Confidence usually grows from predictability: short sessions, clear praise for effort, and calm correction of mistakes.
Preparation works best when it feels like training, not judgement. Because Kent selection sits early in Year 6, building stamina calmly and early is more effective than late intensive revision.
A steady routine is easier with a guide like the Year 5 11 plus revision plan.
If you want a wider view of building habits across primary without panic, this guide keeps it practical: year by year 11 plus preparation.
As a clear starting point, you can book a free 11 plus diagnostic session with Find Your Tutor FYT focused on Sir Roger Manwood’s School. It benchmarks your child’s current level and provides a personalised preparation roadmap.
Join Hundreds of Families Who Secured Sir Roger Manwood’s School
Places with Find Your Tutor.
Entry follows the Kent age selection procedure and you still apply through your local authority for Year 7. It helps to treat testing and the application form as two separate tasks that both need doing correctly.
The route is the Kent selection assessments, so preparation should focus on English, maths, and reasoning skills, plus timed stamina. The best results usually come from steady practice and calm review rather than long stressful sessions.
No, you can apply from outside the town. Offers are made using the published oversubscription criteria, so where you live can still matter when the school is oversubscribed.
Yes, you can still apply and your child can still be assessed as grammar suitable. The postcode and distance rule applies within a specific priority category, so it is best to read the criteria in full and keep a balanced shortlist.
The school uses straight line distance based on address point data rather than driving routes. This means two families with similar commutes can still measure differently on the official calculation.
A random selection process is used to decide between applicants with the same measured distance. This is why it helps to keep expectations realistic when places are tight.
Siblings on roll at the time of entry are prioritised within the oversubscription order. Families with an older child already at the school should still complete every form correctly and on time.
The criteria include a priority group for children in receipt of Pupil Premium within named CT postcodes and within a stated radius of the school. If this might apply, it is worth checking eligibility early and keeping documents organised.
Most families only need the local authority application, but a supplementary form is required for some criteria such as the Pupil Premium category. The safest approach is to check early and treat form admin as part of preparation.
A waiting list is kept and ranked using the same oversubscription criteria order. Your position can change as new children are added or circumstances shift, so it helps to keep backup plans active .
Waiting list eligibility follows the published admissions rules, including selection requirements for a grammar school. If your child is not assessed as suitable, it is usually better to focus on the schools where they can thrive now.
Year 4 is for reading habits and confidence, Year 5 is for steady skill building, and Year 6 is for timed practice and calm exam readiness. Starting gently tends to protect confidence best.
Timing, stamina, and smart review. Children often improve more by understanding mistakes than by doing endless extra papers.
Keep sessions short and predictable, praise effort, and separate learning from judgement. A calm home routine often does more than extra hours.
No, tutoring is not required. Some children do well with a parent led routine, while others benefit from structured feedback, so the right choice is the one that protects confidence and keeps progress steady.
