Kent Test format, 180 places, priority area criteria and expert preparation advice for 2026 entry
Book a Free ConsultationDartford Grammar School for Girls is a girls' selective grammar school located on Shepherds Lane, Dartford, Kent. Founded in 1904 and converted to academy status in 2017, it is one of the oldest girls' grammar schools in northwest Kent and has been rated Outstanding by Ofsted. The school admits approximately 180 Year 7 pupils each year through the Kent Test — the county-wide selective entrance assessment administered by GL Assessment. Entry is highly competitive: the school is consistently oversubscribed among qualified applicants, and 100 of the 180 places are reserved for girls living within the school's defined priority area. This guide covers everything parents need to know about 11+ entry in 2026 and 2027, including the Kent Test format, competition data, the priority area, the oversubscription criteria, and how to structure your daughter's preparation effectively.
The Kent Test is the standardised entrance assessment used by all grammar schools across Kent, including Dartford Grammar School for Girls. It is administered by GL Assessment and taken on a single Thursday morning in September of Year 6 at designated test centres across the county. In 2026, the test date for pupils at Kent primary schools is Thursday 10 September 2026. Pupils at schools outside Kent — including those in Greater London or other neighbouring counties — sit the test on a designated weekend in September 2026. Results are returned to parents on Thursday 15 October 2026.
Every child registered for any Kent grammar school sits the same standardised Kent Test on the same day — there is no school-specific entrance exam for Dartford Grammar School for Girls. The test is standardised by age: each child's raw score is adjusted for their date of birth, ensuring that younger children in the year group are not unfairly disadvantaged against older peers.
The Kent Test has four components. Verbal reasoning tests a child's ability to recognise patterns in language, complete word analogies, decode letter-number codes, and apply logical rules to word sequences. Non-verbal reasoning tests spatial awareness and pattern recognition using shapes, grids, matrices, and abstract diagrams — skills less tied to curriculum content and more reflective of underlying cognitive capacity. English is the distinctive fourth component that sets the Kent Test apart from many other GL Assessment-based 11+ assessments: it includes a reading comprehension passage with questions testing inference and analysis, and an extended writing task requiring creative or narrative writing under timed conditions. Mathematics covers the full Key Stage 2 curriculum with emphasis on application and multi-step problem-solving. All four components are taken in the same sitting and together take approximately two and a half hours.
Results are returned as standardised scores — one for each of English, maths, and reasoning (verbal and non-verbal combined into a single reasoning score), plus a total aggregate score. Children who achieve a total aggregate of 332 or above, with no individual component score below 107, are assessed as grammar school-able and eligible to apply to Dartford Grammar School for Girls and any other Kent grammar school. The Common Application Form listing school preferences must be submitted to the home local authority by Saturday 31 October 2026.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| School Type | Girls' selective grammar school (academy) |
| Founded | 1904 (academy since 2017) |
| Ofsted | Outstanding |
| Year 7 Places | Approximately 180 (100 reserved for priority area) |
| Exam Board | GL Assessment (Kent Test) |
| Test Sections | Verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, English, mathematics |
| Test Date (2026) | Thursday 10 September 2026 (Kent primaries); weekend Sept 2026 (outside Kent) |
| Results Date | Thursday 15 October 2026 |
| CAF Deadline | Saturday 31 October 2026 |
| Qualifying Score | 332 aggregate; no individual score below 107 |
Dartford Grammar School for Girls was founded in 1904, making it one of England's older girls' grammar schools, with over 120 years of academic tradition in northwest Kent. The school became an academy in 2017 and is located on Shepherds Lane in Dartford, close to Dartford town centre and well served by public transport from across northwest Kent and the London border areas of Bexley and Greenwich.
The school is rated Outstanding by Ofsted across all inspection areas, reflecting high quality of teaching, strong academic outcomes, and effective leadership. Sixth form provision is offered on site, with A-Level students progressing to Russell Group universities, medical schools, and competitive university courses at strong rates. The school has a well-developed co-curricular programme including sport, performing arts, debating, and STEM activities, and has a strong track record in competitive academic events including Science Olympiad, Maths Challenge, and UK Junior Mathematical Challenge.
Dartford Grammar School for Girls draws students primarily from the Dartford borough and neighbouring areas in northwest Kent, as well as some families from the Greater London border (particularly Bexley and Greenwich). The school is the girls' grammar counterpart to Dartford Grammar School, which is the nearby boys' grammar school. Both schools are Outstanding-rated, both use the Kent Test, and both admit from similar geographic areas — meaning many families in Dartford consider both schools as part of their planning.
Entry to Dartford Grammar School for Girls is highly competitive. Kent is England's largest grammar school county, with 33 selective schools admitting approximately 7,000 Year 7 pupils each year from a pool of approximately 18,000 Kent Test takers — an overall pass rate of approximately 25 to 30 per cent. Within this cohort, Dartford Grammar School for Girls is consistently oversubscribed among qualified applicants, meaning that simply passing the Kent Test does not guarantee a place.
The school's 180 places are split: 100 are reserved for girls living within the priority area, and 80 are available to girls from outside the priority area. This structural split has significant practical implications. A girl living within the priority area who passes the Kent Test has a substantially higher probability of being offered a place than an equally-scoring girl from outside it. For out-of-area applicants, the 80 available places are allocated in order of standardised score — meaning that girls who score comfortably above the qualifying threshold of 332 are well positioned, while those who narrowly pass may be at risk if a strong out-of-area cohort applies in the same year.
It is important for parents to understand that the 25 to 30 per cent Kent-wide pass rate does not mean entry is straightforward. The test is demanding for ten-year-olds, a significant proportion of families invest in structured preparation, and the children who score highest are typically those who have prepared systematically across all four test components over 12 to 18 months. Children who narrowly pass the threshold may not be competitive for the most popular schools — so the quality and timing of preparation genuinely matters.
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Understanding the priority area is essential for families considering Dartford Grammar School for Girls, because it directly determines which applicants are likely to secure a place when the school is oversubscribed — as it consistently is.
The priority area covers Dartford and a defined set of surrounding parishes, including Ash-cum-Ridley, Fawkham, Stone, Bean, Hartley, Swanscombe, and a number of others — totalling approximately 14 to 19 named parishes in the school's admissions policy. Families living within these parishes are given priority for 100 of the 180 Year 7 places. The current definitive list of parishes is published in the school's admissions policy, updated annually, and should always be checked directly on the school website before families make their school preferences.
When more qualified applicants than places exist, Dartford Grammar School for Girls uses an oversubscription criteria in the following order:
Families from outside Kent — including those in the London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, or Greenwich — may apply and will be considered under the fourth criterion. These families must register for the Kent Test through Kent County Council and name the school on their Common Application Form submitted to their home local authority. This is a relatively straightforward process but requires specific action: families outside Kent must actively register for the Kent Test rather than waiting for the school to issue instructions, as Kent schools do not automatically notify non-Kent residents.
Verbal reasoning in the Kent Test uses GL Assessment question formats that are learnable and consistent across years. These include: finding the odd one out in a word group, completing analogies ("cat is to kitten as cow is to..."), inserting a letter that completes two different words, moving a letter from one word to another to make two new words, finding a word hidden across two consecutive words in a sentence, letter and number codes, and completing word sequences. Many of these formats are unfamiliar to children who encounter them for the first time and must be explicitly taught — they are not tested in primary school curricula. Targeted practice over several months produces reliable improvement because the question types are consistent and follow learnable rules.
Non-verbal reasoning includes shape sequences (identifying which shape comes next), matrices (finding which shape completes a 3x3 grid), analogies expressed through shapes (A is to B as C is to...?), spatial rotation and reflection, and pattern completion. This component is less tied to curriculum knowledge and tends to be surprising for children who encounter it cold. However, like verbal reasoning, the question types are consistent and learnable, and most children show significant improvement with structured practice — particularly those who have worked through GL Assessment-specific non-verbal materials.
English is the component that distinguishes the Kent Test from many other GL Assessment 11+ assessments and is arguably the most important area for parents to focus on. It includes a reading comprehension passage — typically literary or non-fiction — with questions testing inference, vocabulary, language analysis, and the ability to support answers with evidence from the text. There is also an extended writing task, typically requiring creative or narrative writing, assessed on structure, vocabulary range, punctuation, and sentence variety. Strong readers who are also fluent, expressive writers have a natural advantage here — but targeted preparation including regular comprehension practice and timed writing with structured feedback can make a measurable difference.
Mathematics covers the Key Stage 2 curriculum with an emphasis on application under time pressure. Children should be fully secure on: all four operations including long multiplication and division, fractions (adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, converting between forms), decimals and percentages, ratio and proportion, area and perimeter of 2D shapes, volume, angles, coordinates and transformations, data handling (mean, mode, median, range, reading and interpreting bar charts, line graphs, and pie charts), and multi-step word problems requiring multiple calculations. The ability to work accurately and quickly is critical — pace is a genuine constraint in the Kent Test maths section, and children who have not developed fluency under timed conditions consistently underperform relative to their actual ability.
Most families who successfully prepare girls for Dartford Grammar School for Girls begin structured 11+ preparation approximately 12 to 18 months before the September Kent Test. For the 2027 test (Thursday 10 September 2026), this means starting in Year 4 (autumn or spring term) or at the latest by September 2025. The Kent Test's four-component format — particularly the inclusion of English — means there is more ground to cover than in some other 11+ assessments, and a longer preparation timeline produces meaningfully better outcomes.
A well-structured preparation programme typically works in three phases. In the first phase (covering approximately the first third of the preparation period), the focus is on introducing all four test formats for the first time, building secure knowledge of the full Key Stage 2 maths curriculum, and establishing a regular reading habit — ideally 20 to 30 minutes of varied reading per day — that supports both the English comprehension component and the vocabulary dimension of verbal reasoning. This phase is about exposure and foundation-building, not timed performance.
In the second phase (covering the middle third of the programme), children work through progressively harder practice materials under timed conditions, with a tutor or parent identifying specific weaknesses and addressing them directly. This is the stage at which detailed feedback on the English writing task is most valuable: children who receive specific, structured feedback on their writing — on sentence variety, vocabulary choices, paragraph structure, punctuation accuracy — improve far more rapidly than those who simply produce writing without detailed guidance. The mathematical problem-solving component also benefits from this phase: extended multi-step problems that draw on several topic areas simultaneously.
In the third phase (the final weeks before the September test), the focus shifts entirely to full mock tests under realistic exam conditions — including the same physical setup, a desk with no distractions, timed precisely, and followed by a detailed review of every error. Stamina, pace, and confidence are the primary goals at this stage. Children who have completed five to eight full mock tests before the actual exam perform significantly more calmly and completely on the day than those who have not had this experience. A timed experience is qualitatively different from untimed practice, and there is no shortcut to building this.
One particular area many families underestimate is the English writing component. A significant proportion of 11+ preparation resources focus primarily on verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, and maths, treating the English writing task as secondary or giving it minimal attention. In the Kent Test, the English component forms a meaningful portion of the aggregate score, and strong writing is the result of sustained practice over months. Children who have been writing regularly under timed conditions — with feedback — consistently outperform those who have only practised the multiple-choice elements.
Based on our experience preparing girls for the Kent Test and Dartford Grammar School for Girls specifically, the patterns that separate high-scoring children from those who narrowly pass or miss the threshold are consistent and not primarily about raw intelligence.
They have been reading widely for at least a year before the test. The English comprehension section — the component most specific to Kent — rewards wide, varied reading more than any other form of preparation. Girls who read regularly across fiction, non-fiction, and longer-form texts encounter a broader range of vocabulary, text structures, authorial techniques, and ideas, all of which directly support performance on the comprehension passage. A reading habit cannot be established in the six weeks before the test; it is built over months and years. Parents who want to give their daughter the best possible chance in the English section should prioritise daily reading from Year 3 or Year 4 onwards, well before formal test preparation begins.
They know all four test component formats before they sit any timed practice. Many children and families launch directly into timed practice papers before children have been properly introduced to each question type. This creates frustration, reinforces a sense of failure, and wastes practice material. High-scoring children have typically been taught the logic behind each GL Assessment question type — verbal reasoning codes, non-verbal analogies, maths word problem strategies — before any timed element is introduced. The formats are learnable; the teaching phase is not optional.
They have completed full mock tests under realistic conditions. The Kent Test is approximately two and a half hours long, taken in a formal, timed setting. This is a very different experience from completing worksheets at a kitchen table. Girls who have sat multiple full mock tests — at a proper desk, timed precisely, without interruptions — are significantly more composed on the day of the actual test than those who have not. The experience of managing stamina, time pressure, and unexpected question types in a controlled setting before the real exam is one of the most reliable predictors of performance.
They have received substantive feedback on their extended writing. The writing task is assessed on vocabulary, structure, punctuation, and sentence variety. Many children produce writing that is technically correct but formulaic and limited in vocabulary range. Girls who have received specific, detailed feedback on their creative writing — pointing out what specific sentence patterns are making their writing more effective and which constructions to avoid — write with greater confidence, range, and impact. This feedback loop cannot happen through automated marking or simply reading model answers; it requires a reader who can respond to the specific child's writing.
Kent has 33 grammar schools, all using the same Kent Test for entry. This means that a girl who passes the Kent Test with a strong aggregate score is technically eligible for all of them. The schools that families in northwest Kent most commonly consider alongside Dartford Grammar School for Girls include:
Dartford Grammar School — the boys' grammar school on West Hill, Dartford. Also Outstanding-rated and sharing a similar catchment. Relevant for families with sons, or for mixed-sex families comparing options in the same area.
The Weald of Kent Grammar School — a girls' grammar school in Tonbridge (with a second site in Sevenoaks). Popular with families in Sevenoaks and the western Kent area. Uses the same Kent Test.
Invicta Grammar School — a girls' grammar school in Maidstone. Uses the Kent Test. Primarily serves the Maidstone area but considered by families across a wider Kent geography.
Maidstone Grammar School for Girls — also in Maidstone. Girls' selective grammar. The Maidstone girls' grammar counterpart to Maidstone Grammar School (boys), similar to the Dartford pairing.
The key differences between these schools are their sixth form provision, extracurricular strength in specific areas, precise location (affecting commute and transport links), and the specific geographic demographics of their applicant pools. Families should visit multiple schools at open evenings — typically held in the autumn term of Year 5 — before forming a final preference list. The schools are academically similar at the point of entry, since all select from the same Kent Test; the differences emerge at post-16 and in the school culture and community.
For a comprehensive overview of the Kent grammar school landscape, see our Grammar School Preparation Complete Guide 2026 and our GL Assessment 11+ Parent Guide 2026. For official admissions information, visit the Dartford Grammar School for Girls admissions page and Kent County Council's Kent Test page.
Entry to Dartford Grammar School for Girls is via the Kent Test, administered by GL Assessment. The test covers four subject areas: verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, English (including reading comprehension and an extended writing task), and mathematics. It is sat in September of Year 6 — typically Thursday 10 September 2026 for pupils at Kent primary schools, or a designated weekend in September for those outside Kent. All children registered for any Kent grammar school sit the same standardised Kent Test. Results are standardised for age, and children who achieve a total aggregate of 332 or above, with no individual score below 107, are grammar school-able and eligible to apply.
Dartford Grammar School for Girls offers approximately 180 Year 7 places annually. Of these, 100 places are reserved for girls who live within the school's priority area — a defined geographic zone covering Dartford and surrounding parishes. The remaining 80 places are allocated to girls from outside the priority area, ranked by standardised score. Because the school is consistently oversubscribed among qualified applicants, girls within the priority area have a significantly higher probability of securing a place than equally-scoring girls from outside it.
The priority area covers Dartford town and a defined set of surrounding parishes, including Ash-cum-Ridley, Fawkham, Stone, Bean, and Hartley, among approximately 14 to 19 named parishes in total. Families within this area are given preference for 100 of the 180 Year 7 places. Families outside the priority area can still apply and are considered for the remaining 80 places in order of standardised test score. The definitive list of parishes is published annually in the school's admissions policy and should always be verified directly on the school website before making school preferences.
Most families who successfully prepare girls for Dartford Grammar School for Girls begin structured preparation around 12 to 18 months before the September Kent Test — a start in Year 4 or early Year 5. The Kent Test's four-component format, including the English writing task, requires more sustained preparation than some other 11+ assessments. A phased programme — building curriculum knowledge first, then timed practice across all four areas, then full mock tests under exam conditions — consistently outperforms short-term cramming. The English writing component in particular benefits most from long preparation; strong writing is built over months of regular practice with specific feedback.
Dartford Grammar School for Girls is one of two Outstanding-rated grammar schools in Dartford, alongside Dartford Grammar School (boys). Girls in northwest Kent who qualify via the Kent Test also commonly consider The Weald of Kent Grammar School (Tonbridge), Invicta Grammar School (Maidstone), and Maidstone Grammar School for Girls. All use the same Kent Test for entry. The key differences between schools lie in sixth form provision, extracurricular offer, precise location, and school culture. Families should visit multiple schools at open evenings in Year 5 before finalising their preference list on the Common Application Form.
Leading Tuition provides specialist 11+ preparation for Dartford Grammar School for Girls and all Kent grammar schools. Our tutors are experienced across all four Kent Test components — including the English writing task, which many families underestimate. We work with girls from Year 4 upwards, tailoring each child's programme to her individual strengths and gaps rather than following a generic syllabus. We are rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot and our students consistently secure places at competitive grammar schools. Book a free consultation on our website or message us on WhatsApp to discuss your daughter's preparation for the 2026 or 2027 Kent Test.
Leading Tuition specialises in expert 11+ preparation for all Kent grammar schools including the English writing component many families miss. Rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot.
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