Highworth Grammar School 11 plus guide

About Highworth Grammar School

Highworth Grammar School is a large selective state school for girls in Ashford, Kent. It has a history of combining academic excellence with extensive pastoral support and produces motivated students who love to learn. The school is currently ranked within the 100 top grammar schools in the UK.

Creativity and innovation are at the core of the teaching provision, with an inspiring enrichment programme that allows students to show resourcefulness and pursue their own interests. There is a strong music focus at the school; the seven learning communities are named after famous female musicians and students collaborate across year groups in regular musical activities.

• Address: Highworth Grammar School for Girls, Quantock Drive, Ashford, Kent TN24 8UD

• Local authority: Kent County Council

• School type: girls' grammar

• Headteacher: Duncan Beer

• Number of pupils: 1,450+

• National rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 98

• A level results: 78% A*–B

• GCSE results: 69% A*/A/9/8/7

Key info for Year 7 admissions

• Admissions contact: [email protected]

• Number of places in Year 7: 210

• Open events: October 2023

• 11 plus registration opens: early June 2023

• 11 plus registration closes: late June/early July 2023

• 11 plus exam date: mid-September 2023

• 11 plus exam type: The Kent Test

• Common application form (CAF) deadline: 31st October 2023

• National school offer day: 1st March 2023

How to apply to Highworth Grammar School

1. Register for the Kent Test

Highworth Grammar School uses the Kent Test to select pupils for entry in Year 7. The Kent Test is an 11 plus exam taken by 32 grammar schools in the county.

Registration for the Kent Test will open in early June 2023 and close in late June or early July. You will be able to complete your child's registration on the Kent County Council website. If you are also considering grammar schools in Medway, you will need to register separately because these schools do not use the Kent Test.

Children who are looked after or previously looked after, or eligible for the pupil premium, may be prioritised for places under the school's admission criteria. If your child falls into one of these categories, you should complete a supplementary information form (SIF) to indicate this. The supplementary information form is available in the appendix in the school admissions policy.

2. Apply for a school place

You will receive your child's results in the Kent Test in mid-October 2023. If your child has achieved the pass mark in the exam, they will be eligible for a grammar school place. You can then name Highworth Grammar School as one of your preferred schools on your common application form.

Before listing Highworth Grammar School as a preference on your form, check its admissions policy and make sure your child is eligible. Passing the Kent Test will not be a guarantee of a place as more children reach the qualifying standard each year than there are places available.

The application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2023. The form must be completed for your home local authority – i.e. if you live in Kent you will need to complete the form on the Kent County Council website. If you live in a different local authority, make sure to apply through the relevant website for that council.

What is the pass mark for the Kent Test?

Your child will receive four scores on the Kent Test. The results from the English, maths and reasoning sections will all be age-standardised to produce three separate scores, in addition to one overall (aggregate) score.

Children typically need a total score of 332 or more out of the total 423, with no single score lower than 108, to be eligible for a place at a grammar school in Kent.

However, achieving a particular score doesn't guarantee a place at a grammar school, as schools are usually oversubscribed with qualified candidates. We always recommend researching the admission policies for your target schools, looking at their oversubscription criteria and their catchment area. We've included the admission criteria for Highworth Grammar School below.

Highworth Grammar School admission criteria

There are 210 places available in Year 7 at Highworth Grammar School. Before applying any oversubscription criteria, children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) who name the school will be allocated a place and the number of available places will be reduced accordingly.

If the number of children who have listed Highworth Grammar School as their preferred school is greater than the remaining number of places available, the following criteria will be used in order to prioritise candidates:

1. Children in local authority care or previously in local authority care (more commonly known as "looked after children" and "previously looked after children"

2. Children receiving pupil premium

3. Children who have a sibling attending Highworth Grammar School

4. Children who have a medical, health, social or special access reason for attending the school

5. The nearness of children's homes to the school (measured in a straight line distance)

There is no catchment area at Highworth Grammar School.

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