A selective girls grammar school in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,013 pupils on roll.
Denmark Road High School
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At a glance
Denmark Road High School is a selective girls' grammar school in Gloucester, with a sixth form and around 1,013 pupils. Denmark Road's vision is distinctive: 'Nothing less than positive progress and wellbeing for all', with DRHS values framed as Discover, Realise, Honour and Shape. That gives the school a slightly different voice from a results-only grammar profile, with wellbeing, identity, inclusion and future-minded learning placed alongside academic ambition.
The curriculum pages and sixth-form information describe a school interested in breadth as well as examination performance. The main curriculum includes verbal, numerical and non-verbal reasoning only for admissions; once pupils are in school, the curriculum pages point to modern languages, design and technology, personal development and sixth-form pathways. The school says its whole-school curriculum is future-minded, built around learning in and beyond subject boundaries, and intended to help students become adaptable thinkers.
School life has a visible arts and performance flavour. The school evidence identifies orchestra, choir, drama, sport, student leadership and a theatre or performance space, with sixth-form curriculum material adding further academic depth. The vision page also stresses community: students are expected to take active roles locally and globally, while the school speaks about partnership with parents, alumni, businesses, charities and other organisations.
Year 7 admission has a published admission number of 150. The 2027 entry route uses a main test of two multiple-choice papers covering verbal ability, numerical reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, with separate medical, post-allocation and appeal-test routes for exceptional cases later in the process. Places depend on meeting the qualifying standard, with a lower priority standard for some GL1 to GL4 applicants; those standards are set each year rather than published as fixed pass marks. Oversubscription priorities include looked-after and previously looked-after children, pupil premium applicants, GL1 to GL4 postcode categories, staff children, siblings and then score. Public outcomes show Ofsted Good from 2021, +0.93 Progress 8, 97.4% grade 5+ in English and maths, and 20.5% AAB or better at A level.
Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Gloucestershire and England.
Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Gloucestershire and England.
Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Gloucestershire and England.
January 2025 school census
Whole-school roll of 1,013 pupils; 1,002 had a recorded ethnic group.
| Recorded group | Share | Category | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| White British | 43.1% | White | 437 |
| Indian | 23.7% | Asian | 240 |
| Any other Asian background | 8.9% | Asian | 90 |
| Any other White background | 5% | White | 51 |
| Pakistani | 3.7% | Asian | 37 |
| African | 3.6% | Black | 36 |
| Chinese | 3% | Asian | 30 |
| Any other mixed background | 2.4% | Mixed | 24 |
| White and Asian | 2% | Mixed | 20 |
| Bangladeshi | 1.3% | Asian | 13 |
| Unclassified | 1.1% | Unclassified | 11 |
| Any other ethnic group | 1% | Other | 10 |
| White and Black African | 0.6% | Mixed | 6 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 0.3% | Mixed | 3 |
| Any other Black background | 0.2% | Black | 2 |
| Irish | 0.2% | White | 2 |
| Caribbean | 0.1% | Black | 1 |
There is a Year 7 PAN of 150 for 2027 entry. Qualifying and priority standards apply, with additional postcode priority for GL1 to GL4 applicants and separate pupil-premium preference rules.
Additional priority applies to applicants in postcodes GL1, GL2, GL3, and GL4. Local applicants can qualify either through the usual qualifying standard or through the lower priority standard, and are then ranked by test score, with random allocation used as the tie-break within oversubscribed criteria.
Looked after and previously looked after children who reach the qualifying standard
Girls who achieve the qualifying standard and are looked after or previously looked after are first in priority.
Pupil premium applicants in GL1 to GL4
Applicants eligible for pupil premium who achieve the qualifying standard and live in postcodes GL1, GL2, GL3, or GL4 are ranked next by test score, up to the national pupil premium percentage of the PAN.
Remaining pupil premium applicants
If the pupil premium quota is not filled by GL1 to GL4 applicants, pupil premium applicants outside GL1 to GL4 who achieve the qualifying standard are next in priority, ranked by test score.
Children of qualifying school staff
Applicants who achieve the qualifying standard and have a parent or carer employed permanently by the school for two or more years, or recruited to a demonstrable skills-shortage post, are next in priority.
GL1 to GL4 postcode applicants at qualifying or priority standard
Applicants living in GL1, GL2, GL3, or GL4 who reach the qualifying standard or the lower priority standard are next in priority; siblings are prioritised within this group before test-score ranking.
Applicants with a sibling at the school
Applicants who meet the qualifying standard and have a sibling at the school are next in priority, ranked by test score.
The main admission test has two multiple-choice papers covering verbal ability, numerical reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning. Separate medical, post-allocation, and appeals test routes exist for exceptional cases later in the process.
Shared exam route
Denmark Road High School uses the shared Gloucestershire 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 Gloucestershire practice papersPaper 1
Verbal reasoning, Maths, Non-verbal reasoning
Main Test
Two multiple-choice papers covering verbal ability, numerical reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning.
Maths, Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning are included in the published format.
English and Science are not listed in the current published format.
Maths
Verbal reasoning
Two multiple-choice papers covering verbal ability, numerical reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning.
Non-verbal reasoning
Two multiple-choice papers covering verbal ability, numerical reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning.
English
Science
Test centre details issued
Early September 2026
Your child's test centre school will contact you with times and what to bring.
Results emailed
Mid October 2026
Results are emailed to parents.
Common Application Form deadline
31 October 2026
Submit the secondary school application to your local authority by this date.
Read the 2027 admissions policy and Gloucestershire booklet
Use the school policy and Gloucestershire booklet to check the qualifying-standard, postcode-priority, and test rules for 2027 entry.
Open admissions 2027Register for the entrance test
Complete registration between noon on Monday 18 May 2026 and noon on Friday 26 June 2026 through the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools central registration route.
Check registration guidanceSit the test
The test is held on Saturday 12 September 2026 at the allocated test centre.
Check test day detailsSubmit your local authority application
Send your secondary Common Application Form to your local authority by 31 October 2026.
Review the admissions timelineLatest 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 | 76 | 74.2 | 49.4 |
| 2022/23 | 76.4 | 71.8 | 47.0 |
| 2023/24 | 77 | 72.1 | 46.7 |
| 2024/25 | 72.9 | 72.3 | 46.8 |
Recent trend
This follows the published average A-level result for the school's sixth form. Higher is better.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | B+ average (42.7 points) | 44.0 points | 37.5 points |
| 2022/23 | B average (39.0 points) | 40.5 points | 33.7 points |
| 2023/24 | B average (40.2 points) | 41.3 points | 34.5 points |
| 2024/25 | B- average (37.3 points) | 41.8 points | 35.0 points |
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 | 100% | 99.1% | 94.1% |
| 2022/23 | 98% | 98.9% | 93.9% |
| 2023/24 | 98% | 99.0% | 93.3% |
| 2024/25 | 100% | 98.7% | 91.8% |
Latest year breakdown
| In education | 99% |
|---|---|
| In apprenticeships | 1% |
| In employment | 0% |
Latest inspection: 14 October 2021
Local rivals appear first, followed by nearby alternatives where the journey and admissions route are still comparable.
Same Gloucestershire area and similar girls' selective route
Same Gloucestershire area and similar girls' selective route
Closest comparable alternatives with a similar academic profile, so parents can weigh local fit and results together.
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
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 by A-level Results
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Related guides are still being added.
FAQ
Denmark Road High School currently uses GL Assessment.
1. Read the 2027 admissions policy and Gloucestershire booklet: Use the school policy and Gloucestershire booklet to check the qualifying-standard, postcode-priority, and test rules for 2027 entry. 2. Register for the entrance test: Complete registration between noon on Monday 18 May 2026 and noon on Friday 26 June 2026 through the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools central registration route. 3. Sit the test: The test is held on Saturday 12 September 2026 at the allocated test centre. 4. Submit your local authority application: Send your secondary Common Application Form to your local authority by 31 October 2026.
Test centre details issued: Early September 2026. Results emailed: Mid October 2026. Common Application Form deadline: 31 October 2026
Denmark Road High School is currently rated Good following the latest published inspection dated 14 October 2021.