The Harvey Grammar School is a boys' selective grammar in Folkestone with a history that reaches back to 1674, when it was founded by the family of Dr William Harvey. The school website is unusually direct about its founding purpose: it began for boys in Folkestone with limited means, and the modern school says it continues to serve able young men from all backgrounds in the Shepway area. It now educates ages 11 to 18 on the Cheriton Road site, with around 1,015 pupils and a sixth form.
The curriculum is described as broad, balanced, challenging, engaging and personalised. Pupils follow a three-year Key Stage 3 that exceeds National Curriculum expectations, most Key Stage 4 pupils take a core curriculum delivering the English Baccalaureate, and the sixth form offers a wide range of A Levels and equivalent vocational courses. PSHE, SMSC, citizenship and careers education are all presented as part of the curriculum rather than peripheral provision.
Harvey's school life is closely tied to its site and history. The main building at Cheriton Road dates from 1913, and more recent additions include the Wright Building, a 12-classroom teaching block opened in 2015. The school also signposts extra-curricular activities, facilities, pastoral care, exam results and Old Harveians, giving the profile a strong local and alumni thread. Music, drama, sport, student leadership and house activity add to that picture, while the strongest school-site evidence is for curriculum breadth and modern facilities.
Year 7 has 150 places. Eligibility can come through either the Kent Test or Harvey's own Shepway selective route, and the school asks applicants to register for both routes. Harvey's route covers verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, and Key Stage 2 English and mathematics; there is no single final offer score because eligibility is set through satisfactory test outcomes or Kent Test selection before oversubscription is applied. The priority order includes looked-after and previously looked-after children, Pupil Premium boys living in Folkestone and Hythe, other boys in Folkestone and Hythe, and other successful applicants by distance. Public measures show Ofsted Outstanding from the 2022 inspection, +0.24 Progress 8, 94.5% grade 5+ in English and maths, and 13.2% AAB or better at A level.
