Benenden

Focus

Cultivating independence and leadership

Day fees 2025/26

$57,300

Boarding fees 2025/26

$79,900

Term dates

• Term 1: 2 September to 10 December 2025
  
• Term 2: 5 January to 27 March 2026
• Term 3: 20 April to 4 July 2026

Ages

11-18

Pupil count

550 

Spear’s Review

‘Shaping future generations of successful, visionary women’ is how Benenden describes its ethos. Since the school’s establishment in 1923, it has focused on building a culture rooted in compassion, courage and courtesy, with confidence, as it says, ‘added later’.

Central to its philosophy is the belief that girls should be encouraged to thrive in traditionally male-dominated pursuits, such as engineering and eSports. ‘Our girls go into the world knowing that they belong in the room; they have earned their place at the table,’ the school tells Spear’s. This principle has been reinforced by the calibre of guests invited to speak at Benenden, including HRH Princess Basma bint Talal of Jordan, former deputy prime minister Baroness Coffey and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth.

With another campus in Guangzhou, China, Benenden is expanding its educational outlook abroad and offering its pupils a more internationally minded approach.

Academics

In 2025:

• 78 per cent of GCSE results were grades 7-9
• 70 per cent of A-Level results were A* or A

School Profile 

Benenden School is one of the leading boarding schools in the world, offering girls aged 11 to 18 ‘A Complete Education’. Founded in 1923, the school is situated in 250 acres of attractive parkland in Kent, just an hour from London. Ninety per cent of the 550 students are boarders, and a large number of the 440 staff live on-site.

Benenden School students relish everything that life in a busy boarding school has to offer and challenge themselves to achieve their very best. As well as offering state-of-the art facilities and generating top academic results, Benenden inspires future thinkers by fostering a culture of intellectual curiosity and encouraging each individual to make a difference.

Benenden’s unique academic programme aims to encourage a lifelong enthusiasm for learning and discovery. The outstanding curriculum blends the very best of educational tradition with an innovative, enquiry-based cross-curricular approach that allows students to make connections, synthesise knowledge and develop advanced research skills.

The co-curricular programme is a key pillar of the Complete Education provided at Benenden. With more than 100 different activities to choose from, the provision is extensive. There are plenty of ways for pupils to try something new, extend their enthusiasms and develop lifelong interests.

By the time a student leaves Benenden, she will have achieved her very best possible grades at GCSE and A-Level, but also have a love for learning and a set of aptitudes that fit her to meet the challenges of both her professional and personal life in the years ahead.

Parents tell us that they simply ‘got a feeling’ when they visited Benenden that they knew it was the right school for their daughter. We would be delighted to welcome you to visit us to see Benenden for yourself.

Head teacher

Rachel Bailey was educated at Badminton School and Haberdashers’ Monmouth School. She read economics at University of York and completed her teacher training at University of Warwick. Bailey joined Benenden as headmistress in September 2024 from the Royal Masonic School for Girls, where she was head of the senior school. She sits on the Heads’ Conference education committee and is a governor at the Granville School. 

University and college destinations

In 2025, 94 per cent of leavers continued their studies at university, with 6 per cent gaining places at either an Ivy League school or Oxford and Cambridge.

Admissions

According to the school, Benenden greatly values its relationship with parents, from parents’ first exploratory contact with the school, throughout their daughter’s school career and often beyond. A personal visit, where parents speak with members of staff and with students, helps parents to appreciate the school’s unique character. Prospective pupils and parents are encouraged to visit Benenden as soon as they feel ready to begin looking at senior schools and as many times as they like during the admissions process.

Normal entry is in September at 11+, 12+ or 13+, via the ISEB common pre-tests or through Benenden’s own entrance or scholarship examinations. In addition, there is also a small 14+ and 16+ competitive entry into Year 10 and the Sixth Form. Benenden also offers academic awards and scholarships for accomplished musicians, artists, actresses, designers and sportswomen.

Notable alumnae

• Amber Atherton (venture capitalist and entrepreneur)

• Anne (Princess Royal)

• Baroness Fiona Shackleton (esteemed family lawyer whose client book has included Paul McCartney, Stephen Hawking, Liam Gallagher, Norman Foster and Princess Haya bint Hussein of Jordan) 

• Basma bint Talal (Princess Royal of Jordan)

• Sue Ryder (advocate and philanthropist)

Accessibility

Gatwick Airport: 1 hour  

Location

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