Highworth Grammar School
Ashford, Kent · Girls · 11-18 (mixed sixth form)
Reviewed against the school’s own admissions policy · September 2026
Highworth Grammar School, Ashford — a large selective girls' grammar school with a co-educational sixth form. Kent Test admissions with no catchment area, mostly ranked by distance.
Key facts
| Gender intake | Girls |
| Age range | 11-18 (mixed sixth form) |
| Admissions test | Kent Test |
| Year 7 places (PAN) | 210 |
| Official website | www.highworth.kent.sch.uk/ |
The entrance test
Every applicant sits the first stage; each step below narrows to the last.
Sit the Kent Test
Reach the county selective standard
Ranked — Pupil Premium & siblings, then distance (most places)
Places offered
210
A large girls' grammar school (its Year 7 intake was raised to 210 in 2018) with its own co-educational sixth form. Entry is via the Kent Test. When oversubscribed the order is looked-after children, then targeted-free-school-meals / Pupil Premium girls, then siblings, then health / special-access cases, then everyone else by straight-line distance — which is how most places are decided.
How places are decided
Priority order when the school is oversubscribed. The small categories are settled first.
- 1Looked-after & previously looked-after girls
- 2Targeted free school meals / Pupil Premium
- 3Siblings
- 4Health / special-access reasons
- 5Nearest to the school (straight-line distance)most places
Catchment & priority area
No catchment area
No catchment or priority area. Distance from home to the school is only the fifth and final tier, but in practice it settles the large majority of places — 175 of 213 offers for 2026 entry were made on distance.
How competitive is it
For 2026 entry, 290 grammar-qualified girls applied for 210 places; the school made 213 offers (agreeing to go above its published number), and the last place went to the applicant ranked 289th.
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 Highworth 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 Highworth Grammar School
Does Highworth Grammar School have a catchment area?
No. Once looked-after children, Pupil Premium girls, siblings and health / special-access cases are settled, all remaining places go by straight-line distance from home to the school.
How competitive is Highworth Grammar School?
For 2026 entry, 290 grammar-qualified girls applied for 210 places. The school made 213 offers and the last place went to the applicant ranked 289th.
Is the sixth form at Highworth 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 Highworth Grammar School offer?
The Published Admission Number for Year 7 is 210, raised from a six-form entry in 2018.
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