A selective co-educational grammar school in Broadstairs, Kent, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,227 pupils on roll.
Dane Court Grammar School
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At a glance
Dane Court Grammar School is a co-educational selective grammar school in Broadstairs, with around 1,227 pupils across the main school and sixth form. Its public identity is closely tied to international-mindedness. The school describes itself as a happy, welcoming and inclusive community, a place of belonging, and its values language borrows directly from the International Baccalaureate: caring, open-minded and principled.
The IB is the clearest academic distinction. Dane Court's sixth form is built around International Baccalaureate pathways rather than a standard A-level-only model, with the Diploma Programme, Career-related Programme and a bespoke IB route described on the school website. The school presents the sixth form as knowledge-rich and internationally recognised, with careers education, one-to-one university and apprenticeship support and subject tasters built into the post-16 application journey.
Daily school life is framed around belonging and breadth. The vision and values pages emphasise empathy, compassion, service, educational visits, PSHE and careers education. The named facilities include a library and sixth-form centre, and co-curricular activity includes Duke of Edinburgh and trips and expeditions. Ofsted's 2022 judgement was Good overall with an Outstanding sixth form, which fits the prominence the school gives to its IB provision.
Year 7 admission is through the Kent Test, with 165 places published for 2027-28. The test includes English, mathematics and reasoning papers, plus a writing exercise used for headteacher assessment where needed; scores are age-standardised and the Kent threshold is set after testing. Dane Court's oversubscription criteria then give priority to looked-after children, medical or health need, pupil premium applicants, siblings and distance. GOV.UK reports +0.69 Progress 8 and 94.9% grade 5+ in English and maths.
Creative writing is tested in this school's current 11+ assessment.
A weak creative writing piece can leave a child short of qualification. 11 Plus Writing Coach helps families build steadier practice and clearer feedback.
From our 11 Plus Writing Coach site
Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Kent and England.
Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Kent and England.
Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Kent and England.
January 2025 school census
Whole-school roll of 1,227 pupils; 1,212 had a recorded ethnic group.
| Recorded group | Share | Category | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| White British | 73.9% | White | 907 |
| Any other White background | 5.1% | White | 63 |
| Any other mixed background | 3.7% | Mixed | 45 |
| Indian | 3.5% | Asian | 43 |
| White and Asian | 2.2% | Mixed | 27 |
| Any other ethnic group | 1.9% | Other | 23 |
| Any other Asian background | 1.6% | Asian | 20 |
| African | 1.5% | Black | 18 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 1.3% | Mixed | 16 |
| Unclassified | 1.2% | Unclassified | 15 |
| Chinese | 1.1% | Asian | 13 |
| White and Black African | 1.1% | Mixed | 13 |
| Irish | 0.8% | White | 10 |
| Pakistani | 0.5% | Asian | 6 |
| Gypsy/Roma | 0.3% | White | 4 |
| Caribbean | 0.2% | Black | 3 |
| Bangladeshi | 0.1% | Asian | 1 |
Dane Court offers 165 Year 7 places for 2027-28. Applicants must first be successful in the Kent Test, after which the school applies its looked after, medical, pupil premium, sibling, and distance criteria.
There is no fixed catchment boundary. After looked-after, medical, pupil-premium, and sibling priorities, remaining successful Kent Test applicants are ranked by straight-line distance from home to school using NLPG address points.
Looked after and previously looked after children
Children in local authority care and previously looked after children are first in priority once they have been successful in the Kent Test.
Medical, health, or special access reasons
Priority is given where written evidence from a suitably qualified medical practitioner shows a significant need for the child to attend Dane Court.
Pupil premium applicants
Children who have received free school meals at any point in the last six years can be considered here if the supplementary information form and evidence are returned by 31 October.
Siblings on roll at the time of entry
Children with a brother or sister already attending the school at the point of entry are next in priority.
Distance from home to school
Remaining places are ranked by straight-line distance from the permanent home address to the school using the National Land and Property Gazetteer address point.
Year 7 entry uses the Kent Test: multiple-choice English, mathematics and reasoning papers plus a writing exercise used only for headteacher assessment where needed. Scores are age-standardised.
Shared exam route
Dane Court Grammar School uses the shared Kent Test route. Use these common practice resources for the route, then check the full consortium guide for the complete set and current test guidance.
View all Kent Test practice papersPaper 1
English, Maths
Kent Test English and mathematics paper
The first Kent Test paper has multiple-choice English and mathematics sections, each with a short practice section followed by a timed test.
Paper 2
Verbal reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning
Kent Test reasoning paper
The second Kent Test paper is a multiple-choice reasoning paper covering verbal and non-verbal reasoning.
Paper 3
Writing task
Writing exercise
A 40-minute writing exercise is not marked for the standardised score but may be used by a local headteacher panel.
English, Maths, Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning are included in the published format.
Science is not listed in the current published format.
English
Maths
Verbal reasoning
The second Kent Test paper is a multiple-choice reasoning paper covering verbal and non-verbal reasoning.
Non-verbal reasoning
The second Kent Test paper is a multiple-choice reasoning paper covering verbal and non-verbal reasoning.
Science
Kent Test registration opens
Monday 1 June 2026
PastKent Test registration closes
Wednesday 1 July 2026
Kent primary pupils test day
Thursday 10 September 2026
Out-of-county Kent Test weekend
Weekend of 12 and 13 September 2026
Kent Test results
Thursday 15 October 2026
Pupil premium supplementary form deadline
31 October 2026
Return the supplementary information form and evidence to be considered under the pupil premium criterion.
Local authority allocations
March 2027
Allocations are made by the local authority in March 2027.
Waiting list closes
31 December 2027
The waiting list is maintained until 31 December of the admission year.
National offer day
Monday 1 March 2027
Read the admissions arrangements
Use the 2027-28 admissions arrangements to check the selection, oversubscription, and waiting-list rules.
Open admissions pageSit the Kent Test
Year 7 entry depends on being successful in the Kent Test before Dane Court applies its oversubscription criteria.
Review admissions routeSubmit your Kent secondary application
Name Dane Court Grammar School on the Secondary Common Application Form through Kent County Council.
Check Kent application guidanceReturn the supplementary form if you are applying under pupil premium
If your child has been in receipt of free school meals within the last six years, return the supplementary information form and evidence to the school office by 31 October 2026.
Check pupil premium instructionsLatest official destinations data currently covers 2022/23 study leavers.
Recent trend
This follows the school's published overall GCSE score across the subjects pupils take. Higher is better.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 67.5 | 74.2 | 49.4 |
| 2022/23 | 69.2 | 71.8 | 47.0 |
| 2023/24 | 68.6 | 72.1 | 46.7 |
| 2024/25 | 65.3 | 72.3 | 46.8 |
Recent trend
This school does not have a published A-level trend in the local GOV.UK files, so we have shown the share of pupils getting grade 5 or above in English and maths instead.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 98% | 97.7% | 66.1% |
| 2022/23 | 98% | 97.7% | 61.8% |
| 2023/24 | 94.8% | 97.8% | 61.5% |
| 2024/25 | 94.9% | 97.6% | 61.3% |
Recent trend
This follows the share of pupils moving into a sustained destination after Year 11, such as education, apprenticeships, or employment.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 99% | 99.1% | 94.1% |
| 2022/23 | 99% | 98.9% | 93.9% |
| 2023/24 | 99% | 99.0% | 93.3% |
| 2024/25 | 96% | 98.7% | 91.8% |
Latest year breakdown
| In education | 95% |
|---|---|
| In apprenticeships | 1% |
| In employment | 1% |
Latest inspection: 11 May 2022
Local rivals appear first, followed by nearby alternatives where the journey and admissions route are still comparable.
Same Kent area and similar co-ed selective route
Same Kent area and similar co-ed selective route
Same Kent area and similar co-ed selective route
Same Kent area and similar co-ed selective route
Closest comparable alternatives with a similar academic profile, so parents can weigh local fit and results together.
Nearby option with a similar GCSE profile
Nearby option with similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
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Best Grammar Schools in the UK
Explore the best grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking that can be filtered by county, school type, and Ofsted before moving into local admissions detail.
Best Grammar Schools in Kent
Compare 32 Kent grammar schools for 2026: GCSE ranking table, Ofsted, Kent Test route, admissions rules, competition, and school profiles.
Best Grammar Schools in the UK
Explore the best grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking that can be filtered by county, school type, and Ofsted before moving into local admissions detail.
Related guides are still being added.
FAQ
Dane Court Grammar School currently uses GL Assessment.
1. Read the admissions arrangements: Use the 2027-28 admissions arrangements to check the selection, oversubscription, and waiting-list rules. 2. Sit the Kent Test: Year 7 entry depends on being successful in the Kent Test before Dane Court applies its oversubscription criteria. 3. Submit your Kent secondary application: Name Dane Court Grammar School on the Secondary Common Application Form through Kent County Council. 4. Return the supplementary form if you are applying under pupil premium: If your child has been in receipt of free school meals within the last six years, return the supplementary information form and evidence to the school office by 31 October 2026.
Kent Test registration opens: Monday 1 June 2026. Kent Test registration closes: Wednesday 1 July 2026. Kent primary pupils test day: Thursday 10 September 2026. Out-of-county Kent Test weekend: Weekend of 12 and 13 September 2026. Kent Test results: Thursday 15 October 2026. Pupil premium supplementary form deadline: 31 October 2026. Local authority allocations: March 2027. Waiting list closes: 31 December 2027. National offer day: Monday 1 March 2027
Dane Court Grammar School is currently rated Good following the latest published inspection dated 11 May 2022.