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School profile Verified 11 September 2026

Kent Kent 11+

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls

Buckland Road, Maidstone, ME16 0SF

A selective girls grammar school in Maidstone, Kent, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,274 pupils on roll.

Grammar school Girls Foundation school Ages 11-18 Sixth form GL Assessment
UK rank
UK Rank #124
Year 7 places
210
Competition ?
High
Ofsted ?
Outstanding
11+ route
GL Assessment
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On this page

At a glance

Key facts

GCSE rank
UK Rank #124
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

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, usually MGGS, is a selective girls' grammar school with a mixed sixth form and a current roll of about 1,274. Its roots go back to 1888, when the school opened at Albion Place after being founded with funds from the Wardens of Rochester Bridge. The school now describes itself as a forward-thinking community with a tradition of excellence, where happiness, opportunity, enrichment and inspiration matter alongside results.

MGGS has a strong sense of its own educational history. Boys joined the sixth form in 1995; Buckland House opened in 2012 for sixth-form, English, media, art and social sciences use; and a new sports hall opened in 2016. The curriculum has continued to change too, with computing, media studies and dance named by the school as modern additions. MGGS is also an Advanced Thinking School and was appointed as a National Centre for Computing Education Computing Hub in 2019.

The main curriculum is built around academic excellence with social awareness and responsibility. In the sixth form, students usually study three or four A levels alongside Sixth Form Extra, with options such as EPQ, Spoken English and Sports Leadership. Current A-level choices include sciences, mathematics and further mathematics, computer science, economics, politics, psychology, sociology, media, dance, drama, music, design technology, philosophy, languages and the core humanities.

For Year 7 entry, the published admission number is 210 and admission is through the Kent Test. Eligible girls are then considered under MGGS criteria, including looked-after status, pupil premium, current family association with MGGS or Maidstone Grammar School, and straight-line distance. Recent official benchmarks show Ofsted Outstanding, Progress 8 of +0.57, 98.8% grade 5+ in English and maths and 12.8% AAB or better at A level.

Key points
Assessment route
GL Assessment across a single-stage process, covering English, Maths, Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning.
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
98.8% grade 5+ in English and maths and 66.4 Attainment 8
Sixth form
Sixth form available with 12.8% AAB or better and 62% in higher education.

GCSE benchmark

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

School Local authority England
GCSE benchmark comparison Latest GCSE benchmark measures for Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, Kent, and England. 0 50 100 Att. 8 5+ E&M EBacc APS EBacc %
Attainment 8
66.4
Grade 5+ English and maths
98.8%
EBacc APS
6.32
EBacc entry
93.6%

Attainment 8 trend

Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Kent and England.

School Local authority England
Attainment 8 trend line Attainment 8 over time for Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, Kent, and England. 80 66.7 53.3 40 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25

Destinations

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

Education Apprenticeships Employment Other / unknown
Destinations stacked bar comparison Year 11 destinations for Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, Kent, and England across education, apprenticeships, employment, and other or unknown destinations. 0 50 100 School Local auth. England

School details
Sector
Grammar school
School type
Foundation school
Application
Local authority CAF
Gender
Girls only
Age range
11-18
Headteacher
Miss Deborah Stanley
Pupil roll
1,274 pupils
Sixth form
Yes
FSM ?
9.8%
EAL ?
11.4%
EHCP ?
0.3%

Extracurriculars

Duke of Edinburgh

Ethnicity

Pupil ethnicity

Whole-school roll of 1,274 pupils; 1,273 had a recorded ethnic group.

White 76.1% Asian 7.4% Mixed 5.8% Black 9.1% Other 1.5% Unclassified 0.1%

Location and contact

Address

Address
Buckland Road, Maidstone, Kent
Postcode
ME16 0SF
Area
Kent
Exam area
Kent 11+

School leadership

Headteacher
Miss Deborah Stanley

School contact

School email
central@mggs.org
School phone
01622752103

Admissions contact

Admissions team
Admissions Manager
Admissions contact
Ms Michelle Starns
Admissions email
admissions@mggs.org
Admissions phone
01622752103
Open in Map Open school website

Admissions
Year 7 places
210 places (2025 entry)
Applications listed
648 applications (2025 entry)
First preferences
142 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
Applicants must gain a selective place through Kent PESE. No final offered score is published in the checked sources.

Entry is through the Kent Test. After looked-after priority, the Year 7 policy prioritises Pupil Premium, current family association and then straight-line distance.

There is no fixed catchment boundary in the checked policy. Distance is used after Pupil Premium and current family association, measured straight line using NLPG address points.

Oversubscription and eligibility

  1. 1

    EHCP naming the school

    Admitted before oversubscription criteria are applied.

  2. 2

    Looked after and previously looked-after girls

    Highest priority among eligible girls.

  3. 3

    Pupil Premium

    Eligible girls in receipt of Pupil Premium; the supplementary information form is due by 31 October in the year of application.

  4. 4

    Current family association

    Sister or brother attending either MGGS or Maidstone Grammar School when the child starts.

  5. 5

    Distance from home to school

    Remaining eligible applicants are ranked by straight-line distance using NLPG address points.

Admissions policy

Admissions policy 2027 entry

2027 entry

Exam and test format

The GL Assessment 11+ entrance test format

The Year 7 route uses the Kent Test, with GL Assessment tests in English, mathematics and reasoning.

Assessment route
GL Assessment
Papers and stages
1 paper
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

Papers and rounds

  1. Paper 1

    English, Maths, Verbal reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning

    Kent Test

    Kent grammar school tests in English, mathematics and reasoning devised by GL 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

    Kent grammar school tests in English, mathematics and reasoning devised by GL Assessment.

  • Non-verbal reasoning

    Kent grammar school tests in English, mathematics and reasoning devised by GL Assessment.

Not listed

  • Science

Application

Key dates

Get date reminders
Find open days and plan a visit

  1. Kent Test registration opens

    1 June 2026

    Past

  2. Kent Test registration closes

    1 July 2026

    Past

  3. Kent Test - Kent primary pupils

    10 September 2026

    Past

  4. Kent Test - other pupils

    Weekend of 12/13 September 2026

  5. Assessment decision sent

    15 October 2026

  6. Pupil Premium SIF deadline

    31 October 2026

  7. Secondary application deadline

    2 November 2026

  8. National offer day

    1 March 2027, emails after 4pm

How to apply

  1. 1

    Read the admissions policy

    Check the MGGS policy for Pupil Premium, sibling/family association and distance rules.

    Open policy
  2. 2

    Register for the Kent Test

    Register between 1 June and 1 July 2026.

  3. 3

    Sit the Kent Test

    Kent primary pupils test on 10 September 2026; other pupils test over the weekend of 12/13 September 2026.

  4. 4

    Submit the CAF

    Submit the secondary application form by 2 November 2026; Pupil Premium supplementary evidence is due by 31 October.

Official admissions documents

Admissions policy

Admissions policy 2027 entry

2027 entry

Results

Inspection
View report
Outstanding

Latest inspection: 8 March 2023

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

Quick summary

  • Overall effectiveness: Rated Outstanding overall, MGGS is described as highly ambitious and deeply supportive, with pupils pursuing varied career goals from medicine to acting. The report highlights debate, resilience, strong pastoral care, extensive careers input and a meticulous curriculum.
  • Quality of education: Excellence is central to the curriculum, with staff identifying the most important knowledge pupils need across subjects. Pupils master complex mathematics, creative work in English, art and design technology, and pupils with SEND receive carefully specified support.
  • Behaviour and attitudes: Pupils share teachers' high expectations and are determined to meet them. The report describes pupils who aspire strongly, debate confidently, challenge ideas respectfully and know staff will listen if bullying or other worries arise.
  • Personal development: Personal development and wellbeing sit at the heart of the school's work. Events such as Unity in Diversity House Arts Week, alumni visits for International Women's Day and careers sessions help pupils consider identity, ambition and future routes.
  • Leadership and management: Leaders and governors are described as dedicated to an exceptional education and many have long links with the school. Safeguarding is detailed and prompt, with pupils taught about risks including social media and always having adults to approach.
  • Sixth form provision: The report treats Years 7 to 13 as part of one ambitious community. Older pupils benefit from the same careers guidance, debate culture, pastoral support and carefully planned curriculum that help them pursue demanding future study and career ambitions.

Similar schools and comparisons

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Local rivals appear first, followed by nearby alternatives where the journey and admissions route are still comparable.

Nearby schools with similar results

Closest comparable alternatives with a similar academic profile, so parents can weigh local fit and results together.

Shortlist comparisons

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

Explore this school in context

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Related pages and guides

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What assessment types does Maidstone Grammar School for Girls use?

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls currently uses GL Assessment.

How do I apply to Maidstone Grammar School for Girls?

1. Read the admissions policy: Check the MGGS policy for Pupil Premium, sibling/family association and distance rules. 2. Register for the Kent Test: Register between 1 June and 1 July 2026. 3. Sit the Kent Test: Kent primary pupils test on 10 September 2026; other pupils test over the weekend of 12/13 September 2026. 4. Submit the CAF: Submit the secondary application form by 2 November 2026; Pupil Premium supplementary evidence is due by 31 October.

When are the key dates for Maidstone Grammar School for Girls?

Kent Test registration opens: 1 June 2026. Kent Test registration closes: 1 July 2026. Kent Test - Kent primary pupils: 10 September 2026. Kent Test - other pupils: Weekend of 12/13 September 2026. Assessment decision sent: 15 October 2026. Pupil Premium SIF deadline: 31 October 2026. Secondary application deadline: 2 November 2026. National offer day: 1 March 2027, emails after 4pm

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

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 8 March 2023.