School profile Verified 11 September 2026

Highworth Grammar School

Maidstone Road, Ashford, TN24 8UD

A selective girls grammar school in Ashford, Kent, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,543 pupils on roll.

Grammar school Girls Academy converter Ages 11-18 Sixth form GL Assessment

UK rank: UK Rank #97
Year 7 places: 210
Competition ?: High
Ofsted ?: Outstanding
11+ route: GL Assessment

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At a glance

Key facts

GCSE rank: UK Rank #97
Sector: Grammar school
Admissions: Girls only
Assessment: GL Assessment
Places in Year 7: 210
Competition ?: High
Catchment: You can apply from any area. There is no defined catchment or local-priority area, although distance may still affect allocation or a tie-break.
Ofsted ?: Outstanding

Overview

Highworth Grammar School is a selective girls' grammar school in Ashford, with a sixth form and around 1,543 pupils. Its motto, Ad Caelestia Sequere - Reach for the Stars - is translated into the school's REACH ethos: reflective, eager for lifelong learning, aiming high, considerate and confident, and happy in a caring community.

The curriculum is broad and balanced, with visible attention to enrichment, creativity, modern languages, cultural knowledge and personal development. Highworth's subject pages are unusually clear about the kind of learner it wants to develop: confident, curious, independent and able to connect school knowledge with the wider world. The sixth form builds on that, asking students to develop independent approaches to learning while remaining closely supported.

Co-curricular life is a real part of the school offer rather than a bolt-on. Sport, Duke of Edinburgh, music, drama, student leadership, international programmes and the named learning communities give pupils several ways to belong and take responsibility. Published outcomes show Outstanding Ofsted, +0.65 Progress 8 and 99.5% grade 5+ in English and maths.

Year 7 entry is through the Kent Test, with 210 places. Girls need a Kent grammar assessment before Highworth can consider them, and the admissions rules then include looked-after priority, pupil-premium/free-school-meal priority, sibling priority and distance. The test itself has English and mathematics, reasoning and a writing exercise, with the writing used to support assessment rather than as part of the computer-marked score.

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Key points

Assessment route: GL Assessment across a 3-stage process, covering English, Maths, Verbal reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning and Writing task.
Places and demand: 210 places in Year 7 and High
Catchment: You can apply from any area. There is no defined catchment or local-priority area, although distance may still affect allocation or a tie-break.
Results: 99.5% grade 5+ in English and maths and 70.8 Attainment 8
Sixth form: Sixth form available with 18.1% AAB or better and 71% in higher education.

GCSE benchmark

Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Kent and England.

School Local authority England

Attainment 8: 70.8
Grade 5+ English and maths: 99.5%
EBacc APS: 6.70
EBacc entry: 95.8%

Attainment 8 trend

Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Kent and England.

School Local authority England

Destinations

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

Education Apprenticeships Employment Other / unknown

School details

Sector: Grammar school
School type: Academy converter
Application: Local authority CAF
Gender: Girls only
Age range: 11-18
Headteacher: Mr Duncan Beer
Pupil roll: 1,543 pupils
Sixth form: Yes
Trust: Highworth Grammar School Trust
FSM ?: 7.9%
EAL ?: 29.5%
EHCP ?: 0.3%

Extracurriculars

Sport

Ethnicity

Pupil ethnicity

Whole-school roll of 1,543 pupils; 1,522 had a recorded ethnic group.

White 63.3% Asian 18.1% Mixed 9.5% Black 6.6% Other 1.1% Unclassified 1.4%

Recorded group	Share	Category	Pupils
White British	57.2%	White	883
Any other Asian background	9.4%	Asian	145
Indian	6%	Asian	92
Any other White background	5.6%	White	86
African	5.1%	Black	78
Any other mixed background	4%	Mixed	62
White and Asian	3.2%	Mixed	50
Unclassified	1.4%	Unclassified	21
Chinese	1.2%	Asian	19
Any other Black background	1.2%	Black	18
White and Black African	1.2%	Mixed	18
Any other ethnic group	1.1%	Other	17
White and Black Caribbean	1.1%	Mixed	17
Pakistani	0.9%	Asian	14
Bangladeshi	0.6%	Asian	10
Irish	0.5%	White	8
Caribbean	0.3%	Black	5

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Location and contact

Address

Address: Maidstone Road, Ashford, Kent
Postcode: TN24 8UD
Area: Kent
Exam area: Kent 11+

School leadership

Headteacher: Mr Duncan Beer

School contact

School email: office@highworth.kent.sch.uk
School phone: 01233624910

Admissions contact

Admissions team: Admissions
Admissions contact: Mrs J Kemp
Admissions email: admissions@highworth.kent.sch.uk
Admissions phone: 01233624910

Open in Map Open school website

Admissions

Year 7 places: 210 places (2025 entry)
Applications listed: 422 applications (2025 entry)
First preferences: 253 first preferences (2025 entry)
Competition ?: High
Who can apply: You can apply from any area. There is no defined catchment or local-priority area, although distance may still affect allocation or a tie-break.
Pass mark note: Kent Test scores are age-standardised. For the 2026 test round, the grammar-school threshold is set after marking; the 2025 threshold was 332 overall with no single score below 108. The writing exercise is not marked for the Kent Test score but can support headteacher assessment.

Year 7 entry is through Kent PESE. The published admission number is 210 and only girls with a Kent grammar assessment are considered.

There is no fixed catchment area. Distance from school is the fifth admissions criterion, so addresses farther from the school rank lower when that criterion is reached.

Oversubscription and eligibility

1

Looked after and previously looked after children

Children in local authority care, previously looked after children, and children previously in state care outside England.
2

Children in receipt of pupil premium

Parents must return the supplementary pupil premium form and also name the school on the SCAF.
3

Current family association

A sibling attending the school when the child starts.
4

Health and special access reasons

Supported medical, health, social or special access reasons with a demonstrable and significant need to attend Highworth.
5

Nearness of children's homes to school

Distance is measured in a straight line using the National Land and Property Gazetteer address point data.

Admissions policy

Admissions Policy for Entry from September 2026

2026 entry

Exam and test format

The GL Assessment 11+ entrance test format

The Kent Test has an English and mathematics paper, a reasoning paper and a writing exercise. The writing task is not part of the computer-marked score but can support headteacher assessment.

Assessment route: GL Assessment
Papers and stages: 3 papers
Format: Mixed format
Age standardisation: Published as age-standardised

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

Familiarisation GL Assessment English familiarisation pack English General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation GL Assessment familiarisation materials Familiarisation GL Assessment Maths familiarisation pack Maths General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning and Maths familiarisation pack Non-Verbal Reasoning and Maths General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation GL Assessment Non-Verbal Reasoning familiarisation pack Non-Verbal Reasoning General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation GL Assessment Verbal Reasoning familiarisation pack Verbal Reasoning General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ.

View all 9 resources

Familiarisation GL Assessment Verbal Skills familiarisation pack Verbal Skills General provider materials. Match the subjects to the current test; question counts and timings may differ. Familiarisation Kent Test familiarisation booklet Guidance GL Assessment official guidance and downloads General provider familiarisation. Use only the subjects in this school’s test; question counts and timings may differ.

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Papers and rounds

Paper 1

English, Maths

Kent Test English and mathematics paper

Multiple-choice English and mathematics sections.
Paper 2

Verbal reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning

Kent Test reasoning paper

Multiple-choice verbal and non-verbal reasoning sections.
Paper 3

Writing task

Kent Test writing exercise

Writing exercise not marked for the Kent Test score but available for headteacher assessment.

What the test includes

English, Maths, Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning are included in the published format.

Science is not listed in the current published format.

Included

English
Maths
Verbal reasoning

Multiple-choice verbal and non-verbal reasoning sections.
Non-verbal reasoning

Multiple-choice verbal and non-verbal reasoning sections.

Not listed

Science

Application

Key dates

Get date reminders

Find open days and plan a visit

Kent Test registration opens

1 June 2026
Past
Kent Test registration closes

1 July 2026
Past
Kent Test for Kent primary pupils

10 September 2026
Past
Kent Test for pupils outside Kent primary schools

Weekend of 12 September 2026
Past
Kent Test assessment decision email

15 October 2026, After 4pm
Secondary application deadline

2 November 2026
Secondary school offer day

1 March 2027
Offer acceptance deadline

15 March 2027
Appeal request deadline

13 April 2027
First reallocation round

27 April 2027

How to apply

1
Read the Year 7 PESE guidance

Check Highworth's PESE guidance and published admissions information before starting the Kent application process.
Open PESE guidance
2
Register for the Kent Test

For 2027 entry, register for the Kent Test during the official window from 1 June to 1 July 2026.
Check Kent dates
3
Submit your secondary application

Name Highworth on the Secondary Common Application Form by the 2 November 2026 Kent deadline.
View application deadline
4
Send the pupil premium form if relevant

Only use the supplementary form if applying under Highworth's pupil premium priority.
Open PESE guidance
5
Watch for offer day

Kent releases secondary school offers on 1 March 2027.
View offer date

Official admissions documents

Admissions policy

Admissions Policy for Entry from September 2026

2026 entry

Supplementary form

Supplementary Form for Pupil Premium Information 2026/27

2026 entry

Results

Attainment snapshot

Progress 8 ?: +0.65 Progress 8
Attainment 8 ?: 70.8 Attainment 8
GCSE results: 99.5% grade 4+ in English and maths
Grade 5+ English and maths ?: 99.5% grade 5+ in English and maths
EBacc average point score ?: 6.70 EBacc APS
A-level results: 18.1% AAB or better
A-level average points: 39.97 points per entry

Where students go next

Higher education progression: 71% in higher education
Apprenticeships: 3% in apprenticeships
Employment: 19% in sustained employment

Latest official destinations data currently covers 2022/23 study leavers.

Subject performance

Maths: 97.7% grade 5+ in EBacc maths
English: 96.7% grade 5+ in EBacc English
Sciences: 97.7% grade 5+ in EBacc sciences
Languages: 80.4% grade 5+ in EBacc languages

Performance trends

Recent trend

Overall GCSE performance

This follows the school's published overall GCSE score across the subjects pupils take. Higher is better.

Highworth Grammar School Grammar schools England

Year	This school	Grammar schools	England
2021/22	73.8	74.2	49.4
2022/23	69.7	71.8	47.0
2023/24	68.8	72.1	46.7
2024/25	70.8	72.3	46.8

Recent trend

Average A-level result

This follows the published average A-level result for the school's sixth form. Higher is better.

Highworth Grammar School Grammar schools England

Year	This school	Grammar schools	England
2021/22	B+ average (43.7 points)	44.0 points	37.5 points
2022/23	B average (40.4 points)	40.5 points	33.7 points
2023/24	B average (38.5 points)	41.3 points	34.5 points
2024/25	B average (40.0 points)	41.8 points	35.0 points

Recent trend

Where pupils go after Year 11

This follows the share of pupils moving into a sustained destination after Year 11, such as education, apprenticeships, or employment.

Highworth Grammar School Grammar schools England

Year	This school	Grammar schools	England
2021/22	99%	99.1%	94.1%
2022/23	98%	98.9%	93.9%
2023/24	99%	99.0%	93.3%
2024/25	100%	98.7%	91.8%

Latest year breakdown

In education	99%
In apprenticeships	0%

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Inspection

View report

Outstanding

Latest inspection: 14 June 2013

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

Quick summary

Overall effectiveness: The 2025 report judged every current area Outstanding, while the previous overall grade remains Outstanding under the changed inspection framework. The evidence shows academic excellence paired with nurturing care, strong pupil voice and an extensive global and careers offer.
Quality of education: The curriculum is meticulously designed to build complexity over time. Teachers use recall practice, probing questions and precise feedback, insist on ambitious vocabulary, and monitor support closely so pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils achieve very well.
Behaviour and attitudes: Behaviour was described as impeccable. Pupils arrive on time, take responsibility for their actions and are motivated to succeed, while staff use fair expectations and responsive support to improve attendance and remove barriers.
Personal development: Personal development is rich and outward-looking: international partnerships, pupil exchanges, Model United Nations, debate clubs, law societies, student governors, ambassadors, focus days and charity work all help pupils understand culture, heritage and global issues.
Leadership and management: Leaders, trustees and staff continually refine the school's work. The report highlights rigorous but supportive challenge, collaboration with local schools, an inclusive culture and careful monitoring of extra support for pupils who need it.
Sixth form provision: Sixth-form students receive a welcoming induction and mentoring for university applications. They join a thought-provoking seminar programme, support younger pupils academically and help sustain the respectful, mature culture described across the school.

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Shortlist comparisons

Compare Highworth Grammar School with Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School Compare Highworth Grammar School with Highsted Grammar School Compare Highworth Grammar School with The Folkestone School for Girls

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Compare 32 Kent grammar schools for 2026: GCSE ranking table, Ofsted, Kent Test route, admissions rules, competition, and school profiles.

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Related pages and guides

Area and ranking pages

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 Girls' Grammar Schools in the UK

Explore the best girls grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking parents can filter by county and Ofsted before comparing schools by route and journey.

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

Explore the best grammar schools by A-level results in the UK, ranked by the published share of students achieving AAB or better at A level.

Guides and related reading

Related guides are still being added.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What assessment types does Highworth Grammar School use?

Highworth Grammar School currently uses GL Assessment.

How do I apply to Highworth Grammar School?

1. Read the Year 7 PESE guidance: Check Highworth's PESE guidance and published admissions information before starting the Kent application process. 2. Register for the Kent Test: For 2027 entry, register for the Kent Test during the official window from 1 June to 1 July 2026. 3. Submit your secondary application: Name Highworth on the Secondary Common Application Form by the 2 November 2026 Kent deadline. 4. Send the pupil premium form if relevant: Only use the supplementary form if applying under Highworth's pupil premium priority. 5. Watch for offer day: Kent releases secondary school offers on 1 March 2027.

When are the key dates for Highworth Grammar School?

Kent Test registration opens: 1 June 2026. Kent Test registration closes: 1 July 2026. Kent Test for Kent primary pupils: 10 September 2026. Kent Test for pupils outside Kent primary schools: Weekend of 12 September 2026. Kent Test assessment decision email: 15 October 2026, After 4pm. Secondary application deadline: 2 November 2026. Secondary school offer day: 1 March 2027. Offer acceptance deadline: 15 March 2027. Appeal request deadline: 13 April 2027. First reallocation round: 27 April 2027

What does the latest inspection picture look like for Highworth Grammar School?

Highworth Grammar School is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 14 June 2013.