The Judd School

thumb|The main entrance to The Judd School, with gates that were erected in memory of former pupils and teachers who died in the Second World War |alt=A gated entrance lined with trees leads to a red bricked building with white windows and a dark roof. The Judd School opened as a day school for local pupils living with their parents, between the ages of 8 and 16. During his tenure, William Bryant attempted to extend admission to boarders and estimated the costs to be £50 per term (including fees), but the Board of Governors rejected the idea. However, when a lack of public transport made day-to-day travel to the school impractical, boys were permitted to lodge from neighbouring villages and would stay at masters' homes or at hostels approved by the governors. The Education Act 1944 confirmed The Judd School as a grammar school, at which time it applied for voluntarily aided status, which required it to abolish fees under the principle of universal free education. Admission continues to be via the Eleven Plus examination; The Judd School complies with the Co-ordinated Admission Scheme, which is administered by the Kent Local Authority. All pupils must have gained a selective place through the Eleven Plus and placed The Judd School as a preference on their application form. Because the school is usually over-subscribed, priority is given to students in Local Authority Care in the first instance. Students are then ranked according to their aggregate scores in the Eleven Plus, and the distance from a students home to the school (as the crow flies) is used as a tiebreaker. The foundation document stipulated that fees were to be fixed by the governors and could range from £4–8 per year; Around the turn of the 20th century, an attempt was made to attract younger boys into the school by reducing fees for those under the age of 12 from £2/20s to £2 per term. In July 1919, the school applied for grant-earning status, and as a result, 25 per cent of the places became free. As part of this change, the fee structure was changed to £3/10s per term, or ten guineas per annum. In 1944, in accordance with the Butler Education Act, fees were abolished under the principle of universal free education. Parents are encouraged to contribute to The Judd School Development Fund, which raises money for future construction projects. The school continues to be state-funded and thus charges no fees.