Benenden School
Cranbrook Road, Benenden, Cranbrook, TN17 4AA
- Phase
- Independent schools
- School type
- Other independent school
- Ages
- 10 to 19
- Gender
- Girls
- Religious character
- None
- Headteacher
- Ms Rachel Bailey
- Boarding
- Boarding school
- Constituency
- Weald of Kent
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 620
- Pupils on roll
- 480
- URN
- 118939
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01580240592
About this school
Benenden School is a girls' independent school in Cranbrook. It teaches children aged 10 to 19 and has 480 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has not yet inspected Benenden School under its current framework. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Benenden School has not been inspected by Ofsted yet. It opened in its current form in January 1926, and new or converted schools usually wait a few years for their first inspection.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 98 | 82 | 93 |
| Attainment 8 score | 17.4 | 18.9 | 20.0 |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Benenden School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Kent average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 17.4 | 37.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 18.9 | 37.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 20 | 37.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 546 |
| 2023/24 | 545 |
| 2024/25 | 532 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 0%
- Pupils with an EHC plan
- 0
- Pupils on SEN support
- 120
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Dulwich School Cranbrook1.4 miles
Independent schools · Cranbrook
-
St Ronan's School2.4 miles
Independent schools · Cranbrook
-
Greenfields School4.4 miles
Special schools · Ashford
-
Little Acorns School5.2 miles
Special schools · Tenterden
-
Bethany School5.7 miles
Independent schools · Cranbrook
Other schools in Cranbrook
- Bethany School Independent schools
- St Ronan's School Independent schools
- The Dulwich School Cranbrook Independent schools
- Benenden Church of England Primary School Primary
- Colliers Green Church of England Primary School Primary
- Cranbrook Church of England Primary School Primary
- Frittenden Church of England Primary School Primary
- Goudhurst and Kilndown Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hawkhurst Church of England Primary School Primary
- Rolvenden Primary School Primary
- Sandhurst Primary School Primary
- Sissinghurst Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Benenden School teach?
- Benenden School teaches children aged 10 to 19. It is an independent school in Cranbrook.
- Who is the headteacher of Benenden School?
- The headteacher of Benenden School is Ms Rachel Bailey, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Benenden School been inspected?
- Ofsted has not inspected Benenden School under its current framework, so no current judgement is shown. That is common for newer schools and is not a mark against a school.
- How big is Benenden School?
- Benenden School has 480 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 10 to 19.
- Is Benenden School full?
- Benenden School has capacity for 620 pupils and 480 on roll (77%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Benenden School a faith school?
- No. Benenden School has no designated religious character.
- How have Benenden School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 17.4 in 2022/23 and 20 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What are Benenden School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Benenden School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 24 July 2026.