Highsted Grammar School
Sittingbourne, Kent · Girls · 11-18 (mixed sixth form)
Reviewed against the school’s own admissions policy · September 2026
Highsted Grammar School, Sittingbourne — a selective girls' grammar school with a co-educational sixth form. Kent Test (or the Highsted Procedure) admissions with no catchment area.
Key facts
| Gender intake | Girls |
| Age range | 11-18 (mixed sixth form) |
| Admissions test | Kent Test |
| Year 7 places (PAN) | 150 |
| Official website | www.highsted.kent.sch.uk/ |
The entrance test
Every applicant sits the first stage; each step below narrows to the last.
Sit the Kent Test (or the Highsted Procedure)
Reach the selective standard in either
Ranked — Pupil Premium & siblings, then distance
Places offered
150
A girls' grammar school with its own co-educational sixth form (boys join at 16). Entry is via the Kent Test, or 'the Highsted Procedure' — a second chance for girls who sat the Kent Test but did not reach the standard. When oversubscribed the order is looked-after children, then Pupil Premium-eligible girls, then siblings, then everyone else by straight-line distance.
How places are decided
Priority order when the school is oversubscribed. The small categories are settled first.
- 1Looked-after & previously looked-after girls
- 2Pupil Premium-eligible girls
- 3Siblings
- 4Nearest to the school (straight-line distance)most places
Catchment & priority area
No catchment area
No catchment area — distance from home to the school decides all remaining places. One caveat: the Pupil Premium tier carries a reference to the ME9–ME12 postcodes; check the school's current policy for exactly how that is applied.
Key dates
The same timetable for every Kent grammar school. Confirm the current year with KCC.
1 June – 1 July
Register for the Kent Test with KCC
Early September
Test sat, in Year 6
15 October
Results released
1 March
National offer day
Always verify against the school’s own current admissions policy — criteria, catchment boundaries and places-available can all change between admissions cycles, and Highsted Grammar School’s own website is the authoritative source, not this page.
All Kent grammar schools use the same county-wide test — see the format, timeline and registration process. For the wider picture of grammar schools across England, see UK Grammar Schools: List, Competition & Results.
Common questions about Highsted Grammar School
Does Highsted Grammar School have a catchment area?
No. Once looked-after children, Pupil Premium-eligible girls and siblings are settled, remaining places go by straight-line distance from home to the school.
What is the Highsted Procedure?
The school's own assessment (computer-based reasoning tests plus a written English paper), open to girls who sat the county Kent Test but did not reach the selective standard. Qualifying by either route is treated identically.
Is the sixth form at Highsted Grammar School mixed?
Yes — Years 7 to 11 are girls, and the school runs its own co-educational sixth form, admitting boys at 16.
How many places does Highsted Grammar School offer?
The agreed admission number for Year 7 is 150.
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