School profile Verified 11 September 2026

Invicta Grammar School

Huntsman Lane, Maidstone, ME14 5DS

A selective girls grammar school in Maidstone, Kent, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,645 pupils on roll.

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

UK rank: UK Rank #98
Year 7 places: 240
Competition ?: High
Ofsted ?: Outstanding
11+ route: GL Assessment

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At a glance

Key facts

GCSE rank: UK Rank #98
Sector: Grammar school
Admissions: Girls only
Assessment: GL Assessment
Places in Year 7: 240
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

Invicta Grammar School is a large Maidstone girls' grammar within Valley Invicta Academies Trust, educating around 1,645 pupils across Years 7 to 13. Its published ethos is built around care, education and opportunities, with the aim that students become knowledgeable, independent, innovative, ambitious, articulate and considerate.

The academic offer is broad and high-performing. Invicta publishes curriculum subjects, examination results and student destinations, and Ofsted judged the school Outstanding in 2024. Sixth-form life is described as academically demanding but supportive, with students able to pursue a broad curriculum and, where criteria are met, take one subject at Valley Park School.

Personal development is a visible part of the school rather than an add-on. Invicta lists programmes and opportunities including ASPIRE, Women in Leadership, Young Chamber, international trips, Eurovicta, Eco-Schools, Duke of Edinburgh, STEAM, clubs, societies, music and productions. The POP programme gives pupils regular chances to try activities such as chess, coding, photography and wellbeing sessions.

Year 7 admission is through the Kent PESE route, with a published intake of 240. Applicants sit the Kent Test, which includes English and mathematics, reasoning and a writing exercise used for assessment where needed; families also need to name Invicta on the secondary application form. The pupil-premium supplementary form is only for that priority route.

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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: 240 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: 98.8% grade 5+ in English and maths and 70.8 Attainment 8
Sixth form: Sixth form available with 25.9% AAB or better and 72% 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: 98.8%
EBacc APS: 6.83
EBacc entry: 95.2%

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: Mrs Van Beales
Pupil roll: 1,645 pupils
Sixth form: Yes
Trust: Valley Invicta Academies Trust
FSM ?: 6.7%
EAL ?: 20%
EHCP ?: 0%

Extracurriculars

Chess club Orchestra Duke of Edinburgh Sport

Ethnicity

Pupil ethnicity

Whole-school roll of 1,645 pupils; 1,630 had a recorded ethnic group.

White 54.3% Asian 13.8% Mixed 21.4% Black 7.6% Other 2.2% Unclassified 0.9%

Recorded group	Share	Category	Pupils
White British	46.6%	White	767
Any other mixed background	17.5%	Mixed	288
Any other White background	7.3%	White	120
African	6.3%	Black	103
Indian	5.5%	Asian	90
Any other Asian background	4.8%	Asian	79
Any other ethnic group	2.2%	Other	36
White and Asian	2.1%	Mixed	34
Bangladeshi	1.6%	Asian	26
Pakistani	1.5%	Asian	25
White and Black African	1.1%	Mixed	18
Unclassified	0.9%	Unclassified	15
Any other Black background	0.7%	Black	11
White and Black Caribbean	0.7%	Mixed	11
Caribbean	0.6%	Black	10
Chinese	0.4%	Asian	6
Irish	0.4%	White	6

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Location and contact

Address

Address: Huntsman Lane, Maidstone, Kent
Postcode: ME14 5DS
Area: Kent
Exam area: Kent 11+

School leadership

Headteacher: Mrs Van Beales

School contact

School email: office@invicta.viat.org.uk
School phone: 01622755856

Admissions contact

Admissions team: Admissions
Admissions email: admissions@invicta.viat.org.uk
Admissions phone: 01622755856

Open in Map Open school website

Admissions

Year 7 places: 240 places (2025 entry)
Applications listed: 662 applications (2025 entry)
First preferences: 271 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 applicants need a selective place through Kent PESE and must name Invicta on the SCAF. The pupil-premium supplementary form is only needed for that priority category.

There is no fixed catchment boundary. After higher-priority categories, eligible applicants are ranked by straight-line distance from home to school using KCC address-point data.

Oversubscription and eligibility

1

Looked after and previously looked after children

Includes children who were previously looked after and children previously in state care outside England.
2

Current family association

A sibling must be attending Invicta Grammar School at the time the younger child starts and live at the same home address.
3

Medical, health and special access reasons

Families must provide evidence showing a demonstrable and significant need for the school.
4

Children in receipt of pupil premium

Families must return the supplementary information form and also name Invicta on the Secondary Common Application Form.
5

Children of staff

Applies where the member of staff has worked at the school for at least two continuous years or is recruited to fill a demonstrable skill shortage.
6

Nearness of children's homes to school

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

Admissions policy

Admissions Policy 2027/28

2027 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 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. 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.

View all 7 resources

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
Open evening

1 October 2026

Book through the school website.
Years 5 and 6 open morning

15 October 2026

Book through the school website.
Year 6 open morning

16 October 2026

Book through the school website.

How to apply

1
Read the Year 7 joining guidance

Check Invicta's joining page and 2027/28 admissions policy before applying.
Open joining 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 SCAF by 2 November 2026

Name Invicta Grammar School on the Secondary Common Application Form by the Kent closing date.
Check application deadline
4
Send the supplementary form only if it applies

The supplementary form is only needed for applications under the pupil premium priority.
Open supplementary form

Official admissions documents

Admissions policy

Admissions Policy 2027/28

2027 entry

Supplementary form

Supplementary Information Form

2027 entry

Results

Attainment snapshot

Progress 8 ?: +0.79 Progress 8
Attainment 8 ?: 70.8 Attainment 8
GCSE results: 98.8% grade 4+ in English and maths
Grade 5+ English and maths ?: 98.8% grade 5+ in English and maths
EBacc average point score ?: 6.83 EBacc APS
A-level results: 25.9% AAB or better
A-level average points: 43.33 points per entry

Where students go next

Higher education progression: 72% in higher education
Apprenticeships: 7% in apprenticeships
Employment: 13% in sustained employment

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

Subject performance

Maths: 93.2% grade 5+ in EBacc maths
English: 97.2% grade 5+ in EBacc English
Sciences: 95.6% grade 5+ in EBacc sciences
Languages: 83.4% 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.

Invicta Grammar School Grammar schools England

Year	This school	Grammar schools	England
2021/22	68.7	74.2	49.4
2022/23	66	71.8	47.0
2023/24	71.1	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.

Invicta Grammar School Grammar schools England

Year	This school	Grammar schools	England
2021/22	B+ average (44.7 points)	44.0 points	37.5 points
2022/23	B+ average (41.9 points)	40.5 points	33.7 points
2023/24	B average (40.3 points)	41.3 points	34.5 points
2024/25	B+ average (43.3 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.

Invicta Grammar School Grammar schools England

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

Latest year breakdown

In education	96%
In apprenticeships	2%
In employment	1%

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Inspection

View report

Outstanding

Latest inspection: 17 April 2024

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

Quick summary

Overall effectiveness: The 2024 inspection judged Invicta Outstanding in every area. The report describes an exceptional school with expertly taught curriculum, exemplary behaviour, extensive opportunities beyond lessons and careful preparation for future study, careers and life in modern Britain.
Quality of education: The curriculum is highly ambitious, meticulously planned and broad through the sixth form, with extensive A-level options. Pupils master knowledge, write to a high standard and use complex subject vocabulary confidently, while SEND support is carefully tailored.
Behaviour and attitudes: Behaviour was exemplary. Pupils are polite, courteous and diligent in lessons, collaborate thoughtfully and develop resilience and independence because teachers deliberately foster these habits alongside academic learning.
Personal development: The Personal Opportunity Programme gives pupils a large menu of sporting, artistic, political, charitable and academic activities. Music is a particular strength, with choirs and ensembles, while Power Days cover cultures, social issues, global themes and next steps.
Leadership and management: Leaders and the trust were linked to a highly ambitious, well-supported school culture. Pupils feel safe because staff listen and meet pastoral needs, and safeguarding arrangements were judged effective.
Sixth form provision: Sixth-form students are included in the school's broad, expertly taught curriculum and future-preparation work. They access an extensive range of A-level courses, take part in Power Days and benefit from visitors, companies and organisations discussing study and careers.

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Shortlist comparisons

Compare Invicta Grammar School with Maidstone Grammar School for Girls Compare Invicta Grammar School with Highsted Grammar School Compare Invicta Grammar School with Weald of Kent Grammar School

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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

Guide

Kent Grammar Schools Guide

A practical guide to Kent grammar school clusters, from Dartford and Wilmington to Tonbridge, Maidstone, Canterbury and East Kent.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What assessment types does Invicta Grammar School use?

Invicta Grammar School currently uses GL Assessment.

How do I apply to Invicta Grammar School?

1. Read the Year 7 joining guidance: Check Invicta's joining page and 2027/28 admissions policy before applying. 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 SCAF by 2 November 2026: Name Invicta Grammar School on the Secondary Common Application Form by the Kent closing date. 4. Send the supplementary form only if it applies: The supplementary form is only needed for applications under the pupil premium priority.

When are the key dates for Invicta 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. Open evening: 1 October 2026. Years 5 and 6 open morning: 15 October 2026. Year 6 open morning: 16 October 2026

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

Invicta Grammar School is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 17 April 2024.