England · Grammar school

Barton Court Grammar School

Canterbury · Mixed (co-educational) · ages 11 to 18

Official record: Get Information About Schools (URN 137474)

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Overview

Address
Longport, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1PH
Status
Open
Admits
Mixed (co-educational)
Age range
11 to 18
Number of pupils
995
Capacity
1,050
Eligible for free school meals
12.5%
Sixth form
Yes
School type
Academy converter
Religious character
None
Trust
BARTON COURT ACADEMY TRUST
Local authority
Kent

Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026 · Source: Desk research (cited public sources) (get-information-schools.service.gov.uk), last checked 31 October 2026

Admissions and the 11+

Admissions policy
Selective (grammar school)
Selection in this area
Fully selective area30% of Year 7 places offered in Kent for September 2026 were at selective schools (DfE applications and offers). We class an area as fully selective at 25% or more. Confirm with the local authority's admissions guide.
Entrance test
Kent Test
Qualifying score
aggregate 332 with no section below 108 (Kent Test threshold for September 2026 entry) (2026 entry)
Catchment area
For September 2027 entry, Barton Court Grammar School has no catchment area. All children who pass the Kent Test can apply. After children in care, and the other priority groups listed in the policy (pupil premium children, brothers and sisters, and medical or social need), places go to the children who live nearest the school (straight-line distance).
Children from outside the catchment
Yes: For September 2027 entry there is no catchment, so where you live only matters through distance: when the school is oversubscribed, children who live further away are less likely to be offered a place.

Applications and offers for Year 7

For September 2026 entry, 837 applicants named this school (145 as their first choice) for 125 places. 2 of 125 offers went to children living outside Kent.

Applications and offers by September intake
IntakePlaces offeredApplicantsFirst choiceFirst choices per placeOffers to children outside Kent
Sept 20261258371451.22
Sept 2025947611141.20
Sept 20241208011261.12
Sept 20231208121471.26
Sept 20221507621801.20
Show all 13 years
Earlier intakes
IntakePlaces offeredApplicantsFirst choiceFirst choices per placeOffers to children outside Kent
Sept 20211201,0762121.85
Sept 20201477661571.10
Sept 20191457641621.11
Sept 20181507911551.00
Sept 20171507611420.90
Sept 20161318551381.10
Sept 20151367731421.02
Sept 20141288061221.00

"Applicants" counts every family that listed the school as any preference, so it is higher than the number competing for each place. "Outside Kent" means a home in another local authority; it is not the school's catchment area. For grammar schools, offers also depend on the entrance test result.

Source: Secondary and primary school applications and offers (Department for Education), last checked 31 October 2026

Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026 · Source: Admissions research (cited public sources) (skinners-school.co.uk, 4905753ff3cea231a868-376d75cd2890937de6f542499f88a819.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com), last checked 1 November 2026

Key dates for September 2027 entry

Test registration (Kent Test)
1 June 2026 to 1 July 2026
Test date
10 September 2026, 12 September 2026, 13 September 202610 Sep for children at Kent primaries; 12-13 Sep for children at non-Kent primaries. Late registration only in limited cases (email kent.admissions@kent.gov.uk); sources conflict. Dates come from school/tuition pages; official page kent.gov.uk/kenttest not seen. One guide mentions 12 Feb offer, unclear.
Results sent to families
15 October 2026
Apply to your council (September 2027 entry)
By 31 October 2026This date has passed: late applications go to your council and are usually considered after on-time ones.
National offer day
1 March 2027Offers are sent on 1 March, or the next working day.
Open days
Not yet available
School opened (current registration)
1 September 2011

Unverified: test dates come from desk research (medium confidence). Confirm them with the council or test organiser. Sources: kelsi.org.uk, lenham.kent.sch.uk, cognito.org, leadingtuition.co.uk.

Statutory dates: School Admissions Code (Department for Education).

Guide to the Kent Test and its schools · How applying works

Source: Test dates research (cited public sources) (kelsi.org.uk), last checked 1 November 2026 · Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026

Ofsted inspection

Inspected on 11 February 2020: overall Good. Read the report ↗

Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
Sixth form provision
Good
Inspection history (4)
  • 19 November 2024: School inspection · report
  • 11 February 2020: Full inspection, Good · report
  • 27 March 2014: Full inspection, Outstanding · report
  • 14 February 2012: Academy conversion letter · report

Source: Ofsted inspection reports, last checked 31 October 2026

Exam results

GCSE results 2025/26 (provisional)

GCSE results compared with national averages
MeasureThis schoolSelective schools in EnglandAll state schools in England
Attainment 8Average grade across 8 GCSE-level subjects, doubled for English and maths (maximum 90).66.172.146.2
Grade 5 or above in English and maths85.9%93.7%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and maths43%57.7%14.2%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths97.2%98.3%64.8%
Progress 8Not published for most schools in recent years, because primary school tests were cancelled in 2020 and 2021.–––

Attainment 8 over time: 66 (2023/24) → 66.4 (2024/25) → 66.1 (2025/26).

142 pupils took GCSEs. Results reflect a selective intake: compare grammar schools with each other rather than with all schools.

Source: Key stage 4 performance (GCSE results) (Department for Education), last checked 31 October 2026

How to get there

Postcode
CT1 1PH
Map location
51.27679, 1.09117
Open in OpenStreetMap
Directions and surroundings ↗
Telephone
01227464600

Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026

School website
www.bartoncourt.org
Admissions policy document
Not yet available
Further reading
Wikipedia ↗

Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026