England · Grammar school

Dartford Grammar School for Girls

Dartford · Girls only · ages 11 to 18

Official record: Get Information About Schools (URN 144100)

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Overview

Address
Shepherds Lane, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2NT
Status
Open
Admits
Girls only
Age range
11 to 18
Number of pupils
1,257
Capacity
1,119
Eligible for free school meals
23.9%
Sixth form
Yes
School type
Academy converter
Religious character
None
Trust
THE ARETÉ 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, after girls in care and pupil premium girls, Dartford Grammar School for Girls reserves 100 places for girls living in the Borough of Dartford or the parishes of Ash-cum-Ridley, Crockenhill, Eynsford, Farningham, Fawkham, Hartley, Hextable, Horton Kirby and South Darenth, Swanley and West Kingsdown. Within each group girls are ranked by Kent Test score, with distance used only to separate equal scores.
Children from outside the catchment
Yes: For September 2027 entry, the remaining places go to eligible girls from any address, ranked by Kent Test score.

Applications and offers for Year 7

For September 2026 entry, 1,269 applicants named this school (428 as their first choice) for 178 places. 56 of 178 offers went to children living outside Kent.

Applications and offers by September intake
IntakePlaces offeredApplicantsFirst choiceFirst choices per placeOffers to children outside Kent
Sept 20261781,2694282.456
Sept 20251791,2573842.167
Sept 20241791,4014862.768
Sept 20231801,3384252.468
Sept 20221781,3064572.667
Show all 10 years
Earlier intakes
IntakePlaces offeredApplicantsFirst choiceFirst choices per placeOffers to children outside Kent
Sept 20211791,5364792.767
Sept 20201801,2924672.669
Sept 20191801,3384282.467
Sept 20181801,2403491.969
Sept 20171781,0683902.254

"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, dartfordgrammargirls.org.uk), 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 June 2017

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 17 March 2026. Read the report ↗

Achievement
Exceptional
Attendance and behaviour
Exceptional
Personal development and wellbeing
Exceptional
Post 16 provision
Exceptional
Curriculum and teaching
Strong standard
Inclusion
Strong standard
Leadership and governance
Strong standard
Safeguarding
Met

From September 2024 Ofsted no longer gives an overall grade for state schools.

Inspection history (3)
  • 17 March 2026: School inspection · report
  • 19 October 2021: School inspection · report
  • 6 June 2017: 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).77.372.146.2
Grade 5 or above in English and maths97.8%93.7%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and maths71.5%57.7%14.2%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths100%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: 75.3 (2023/24) → 75.5 (2024/25) → 77.3 (2025/26).

179 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
DA1 2NT
Map location
51.4434, 0.20396
Open in OpenStreetMap
Directions and surroundings ↗
Telephone
01322223123

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

Admissions policy document
Not yet available
Further reading
Wikipedia ↗

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