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School profile Record updated 27 October 2026

Kent Kent 11+

Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School

Chatham Street, Ramsgate, CT11 7PS

A selective co-educational grammar school in Ramsgate, Kent, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,388 pupils on roll.

Grammar school Co-ed Academy converter Ages 11-18 Sixth form Kent Test
2025–2026 GCSE rank ?
UK Rank #149
Year 7 places
180
Competition ?
Moderate (estimated)
Ofsted ?
Good
11+ route
Kent Test
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On this page

At a glance

Key facts

2025–2026 GCSE rank ?
UK Rank #149
Sector
Grammar school
Admissions
Mixed
Assessment
Kent Test
Places in Year 7
180
Competition ?
Moderate (estimated)
Catchment
You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
Ofsted ?
Good

Overview

Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School brings together two Ramsgate grammar traditions in a modern co-educational selective school for ages 11 to 18. The roll is around 1,390 pupils, large enough for a substantial sixth form while still retaining the identity of its Chatham House and Clarendon House roots.

The curriculum is broad and recognisably grammar-school in tone, with departments publishing subject intent and sixth-form routes rather than presenting the school as a test factory. Drama has a particularly visible profile, supported by performance spaces and productions, and the sixth form publishes course, admissions and results information for families comparing post-16 options.

The school day extends into choir, Duke of Edinburgh, Combined Cadet Force, drama and subject enrichment. That breadth matters in Thanet, where the school serves both local Ramsgate families and applicants from the wider Kent grammar system.

Year 7 entry has a published admission number of 180 and uses the Kent Test: English and mathematics, reasoning, and a writing exercise used where headteacher assessment is needed. Once a child is grammar-qualified, the school's oversubscription criteria give priority to looked-after children, health and special access cases, pupil or service premium applicants, siblings, staff children and then named local areas before wider distance.

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Key points
Assessment route
Kent Test: 3 papers, covering English, Maths, Verbal reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning and Writing task.
Places and demand
180 places in Year 7 and Moderate (estimated)
Catchment
You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
Results
81.8% grade 5+ in English and maths and 62.2 Attainment 8
Sixth form
Sixth form available with 16% AAB or better and 59.3% in higher education.

GCSE benchmark

Latest 2025/26 KS4 measures compared with Kent and England.

School Local authority England
GCSE benchmark comparison Latest GCSE benchmark measures for Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School, Kent, and England. 0 50 100 Att. 8 5+ E&M
Attainment 8
62.2
Grade 5+ English and maths
81.8%

Attainment 8 trend

Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Kent and England.

School Local authority England
Attainment 8 trend line Attainment 8 over time for Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School, Kent, and England. 70 60 50 40 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 25/26

Destinations

Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Kent and England.

Education Apprenticeships Employment Other / unknown
Destinations stacked bar comparison Year 11 destinations for Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School, Kent, and England across education, apprenticeships, employment, and other or unknown destinations. 0 50 100 School Local auth. England

School details
Sector
Grammar school
School type
Academy converter
Application
Local authority CAF
Gender
Mixed
Age range
11-18
Headteacher
Mrs Debra Liddicoat
Pupil roll
1,334 pupils
Sixth form
Yes
Trust
Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School
FSM ?
17.4%
EAL ?
11.5%
EHCP ?
0.4%

Facilities

Theatre

Extracurriculars

Choir Drama Duke of Edinburgh Combined Cadet Force

School statistics

Ethnicity

Pupil ethnicity

Whole-school roll of 1,334 pupils; 1,311 had a recorded ethnic group.

White 80.9% Asian 5.4% Mixed 8.2% Black 1.8% Other 1.7% Unclassified 1.7%

Location and contact

Address

Address
Chatham Street, Ramsgate, Kent
Postcode
CT11 7PS
Area
Kent
Exam area
Kent 11+

School leadership

Headteacher
Mrs Debra Liddicoat

School contact

School email
registrar@ccgrammarschool.co.uk
School phone
01843591075

Admissions contact

Admissions team
Admission Registrar
Admissions contact
Mrs S Hurrell
Admissions email
registrar@ccgrammarschool.co.uk
Admissions phone
01843591075
Open in Map Open school website

Admissions
Year 7 places
180 places
Applications listed
502 applications (2026 entry)
First preferences
121 first preferences (2026 entry)
Competition ?
Moderate (estimated)
Catchment
You can apply from any area, but living in the published local area gives priority for some or all places.
Pass mark note
For the 2026 Kent Test (2027 entry), grammar-school assessment requires an aggregate score of at least 345, with no individual score below 111. Qualification does not guarantee a place. School-specific alternative tests have their own standards.

Applicants must first qualify for grammar school through the Kent Test. Eligible children are then ranked through the school's published oversubscription order, including a named-area priority before the final open distance criterion.

The 2027 policy gives a named-area priority for children living in Thanet, Broomfield, Chestfield, Herne, Herne Bay, Reculver, Swalecliffe, and Whitstable. Distance is then used inside each criterion.

Oversubscription and eligibility

  1. 1

    Eligible looked after and previously looked after children are considered first.

    After any EHCP placements, priority starts with children who are eligible for grammar school and are looked after or previously looked after.

  2. 2

    Health or special access applications come next.

    Families must complete the supplementary process and provide evidence showing why this school is the only suitable option.

  3. 3

    Pupil premium and service premium applicants follow.

    The policy requires the supplementary route for this criterion as well.

  4. 4

    Current family association is considered next.

    Sibling priority applies for current brothers or sisters at the school.

  5. 5

    Children of staff are considered after sibling applications.

    The published policy defines the qualifying employment conditions for staff priority.

  6. 6

    Eligible children living in Thanet and the named coastal areas come next.

    The named areas are Thanet, Broomfield, Chestfield, Herne, Herne Bay, Reculver, Swalecliffe, and Whitstable, with distance used inside the criterion.

Admissions policy

Admission Arrangements 2027-28

2027 entry

Exam and test format
September 2027 entry

Two multiple-choice papers and a separate writing exercise.

Test provider
GL Assessment
Format
Multiple choice and written answers
Scores
Age-standardised

Papers and timings

  • English and mathematics English · Maths Multiple choice
    60 min Includes two 5-minute practice exercises.
  • Reasoning Verbal reasoning · Non-verbal reasoning Multiple choice
    Approx. 60 min Includes practice sections.
  • Writing exercise Written answers
    40 min Includes 10 minutes for planning.

What the test includes

  • EnglishComprehension and literacy skills.
  • Maths
  • Verbal reasoning
  • Non-verbal reasoning
  • Writing taskUsed for headteacher assessment; outside the standardised score.
Official test guidance
Changes for 2028 entry
2028 entry · Quest Assessments

Quest Assessments will provide the Kent Test from the September 2027 tests for 2028 entry.

Kent County Council says the test’s purpose, structure and timing will remain unchanged.

Official 2028 guidance ↗

Official exam resources

Past papers and practice materials

No released past entrance-test papers are currently verified here. The resources below are labelled by type.

Kent Test test guide

Application

Key dates

Get date reminders
Find open days and plan a visit

  1. Kent Test registration opens

    Monday 1 June 2026

    Past

  2. Kent Test registration closes

    Wednesday 1 July 2026

    Past

  3. Kent Test for Kent primary pupils

    Thursday 10 September 2026

    Past

  4. Out-of-county Kent Test weekend

    Weekend of 12/13 September 2026

  5. Kent Test decision sent

    Thursday 15 October 2026

    Past

  6. Kent secondary application deadline

    2 November 2026, Kent residents

    Kent residents apply through Kent County Council. Families outside Kent must meet their home local authority deadline.

  7. Supplementary evidence deadline

    Within 10 school days of the national secondary application deadline

    Only applies to health or special access applications and pupil or service premium applications.

  8. National offer day

    Monday 1 March 2027

  9. Kent application changes deadline

    7 December 2026

    Deadline for on-time changes to Kent applications to be considered on National Offer Day.

  10. Kent offer acceptance deadline

    15 March 2027

    Kent residents must accept or refuse the offered school place by this date.

  11. Kent on-time appeal deadline

    13 April 2027

    For schools named on the original Kent application; check the school appeal instructions.

  12. Kent reallocation offer day

    27 April 2027

    Kent County Council reallocates places from waiting lists.

How to apply

  1. 1

    Register for the Kent Test

    Kent's 2027 transfer scheme opens registration on Monday 1 June 2026 and closes it on Wednesday 1 July 2026 for Year 7 entry.

    Open Kent Test guidance
  2. 2

    Send the supplementary form only if it applies

    The school only asks for a supplementary submission under the health or special access criterion and the pupil or service premium criterion.

    Open school admissions
  3. 3

    Submit your secondary application

    You still need to name Chatham & Clarendon on your local authority secondary application by Monday 2 November 2026.

Official admissions documents

Admissions policy

Admission Arrangements 2027-28

2027 entry

Key dates

Admissions

2027 entry

Results

Inspection
View report
Good

Latest inspection: 16 May 2018

Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Sixth form provision
Good

Quick summary

  • Overall effectiveness: The structured record lists a Good grade, while the linked 2025 evidence is a special-measures monitoring letter. It records progress on safeguarding, attendance and curriculum equality, but says the school still needs substantial improvement, especially in governance.
  • Quality of education: Inspectors did not fully evaluate the quality of education on this monitoring visit. The evidence that is available says pupils now study the same curriculum irrespective of sex, with remaining variation linked to teaching quality and class differences.
  • Behaviour and attitudes: The clearest behaviour-related evidence is improved attendance, especially in the sixth form, where routine logging and firm expectations helped students be in school. The report also says staff now work more systematically with families to remove barriers.
  • Personal development: The school consulted parents on RSHE and adapted the curriculum after those discussions. Most younger pupils engage sensitively with PSHE, but sixth-form arrangements in large groups were not working well and were due to change.
  • Leadership and management: Senior leaders had taken decisive action after the previous inspection, including safeguarding training, timetable changes and external support. Governance remained the major weakness: governors relied too heavily on leaders and lacked the expertise to check records and legal duties robustly.
  • Sixth form provision: Sixth-form attendance had risen sharply since the graded inspection, helped by stronger expectations, cover arrangements and routine attendance logging. However, students' PSHE lessons were too large for useful discussion, and leaders planned a different timetable.

Similar schools and comparisons

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Shortlist comparisons

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Related pages and guides

Guides and related reading

Related guides are still being added.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Which entrance tests does Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School use?

For September 2027 entry, Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School uses Kent Test. Check the named test and any alternative or later-stage requirements in the admissions policy.

How do I apply to Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School?

1. Register for the Kent Test: Kent's 2027 transfer scheme opens registration on Monday 1 June 2026 and closes it on Wednesday 1 July 2026 for Year 7 entry. 2. Send the supplementary form only if it applies: The school only asks for a supplementary submission under the health or special access criterion and the pupil or service premium criterion. 3. Submit your secondary application: You still need to name Chatham & Clarendon on your local authority secondary application by Monday 2 November 2026.

When are the key dates for Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School?

Kent Test registration opens: Monday 1 June 2026. Kent Test registration closes: Wednesday 1 July 2026. Kent Test for Kent primary pupils: Thursday 10 September 2026. Out-of-county Kent Test weekend: Weekend of 12/13 September 2026. Kent Test decision sent: Thursday 15 October 2026. Kent secondary application deadline: 2 November 2026, Kent residents. Supplementary evidence deadline: Within 10 school days of the national secondary application deadline. National offer day: Monday 1 March 2027. Kent application changes deadline: 7 December 2026. Kent offer acceptance deadline: 15 March 2027. Kent on-time appeal deadline: 13 April 2027. Kent reallocation offer day: 27 April 2027

What does the latest inspection picture look like for Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School?

Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School is currently rated Good following the latest published inspection dated 16 May 2018.