Barton Court Grammar School 11+ Exam

Key information about Barton Court Grammar School

Barton Court Grammar School is a selective grammar school in Kent.

Barton Court Grammar School uses the Kent Test for Year 7 entry. There is no separate Barton Court entrance test for normal Year 7 admissions.

Passing the Kent Test does not guarantee a place. If more eligible children apply than there are places available, Barton Court uses its published oversubscription criteria to determine which applicants are offered places.

Barton Court Grammar School at a glance

School: Barton Court Grammar School

Address: Longport, Canterbury, CT1 1PH

Entry Age: 11+/ Year 7

School Website: www.bartoncourt.org

Gender: Mixed

Number of pupils: 995

Year 7 Places: 150

Admissions: Selective

Kent Test Date: 10 September 2026 (Kent Primary Schools)

12-13 September (Non-Kent Primary Schools)

Results: 15 October 2026

Kent Test Provider: GL Assessment

About Barton Court Grammar School

Barton Court Grammar School was originally founded as Barton Court Grammar School for Girls before World War II. The current school is a selective, co-educational school.

The school is situated in Canterbury, Kent and educates students, aged between 11 and 18. It was judged ‘Good’ by Ofsted in 2020 and a non-graded inspection in 2024 deemed the school to have taken effective action to maintain the standards from the previous inspection.

With a range of extra-curricular activities on offer, including a choir, a debating club and an orchestra, the school encourages non-academic interests as well as performance in the classroom. The school also has Foreign Language College status.

View Barton Court Grammar School's Ofsted reports here.

Preparing for the Barton Court Grammar School 11+?

Preparing for the 11+ can feel overwhelming, especially with different exam formats and timelines to consider. If you’d like structured guidance and personalised support, you can find out more about our 11+ tuition services using the link below.

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The Kent 11+ Exam

Your child will need to develop the following skills:

English

Maths

Verbal Reasoning

Non-Verbal Reasoning

Writing Skills*

* A 40-minute writing exercise is also completed as part of the Kent Test. It is not marked and does not contribute to the final Kent Test score, but it may be considered by a local headteacher assessment panel where required.

Kent 11+ Exam Format

The tests are multiple-choice with a separate answer sheet. They are marked by an automated marking machine.

The first test will be an English and maths paper and will take 1 hour. Each section will involve a 5-minute practice exercise followed by a 25-minute test. The English section will involve a comprehension exercise as well as some additional questions drawn from a set designed to test literacy skills.

The second test will be a reasoning paper. It will take about 1 hour, including the practice sections and questions. It will contain a verbal reasoning section and a non-verbal reasoning section of roughly the same length. The non-verbal reasoning will be split into short sections, administered and timed individually.

There will also be a writing exercise which will not be marked but may be used by a local headteacher panel as part of the headteacher assessment stage of the process. 40 minutes will be allowed for the writing task, including 10 minutes planning time.

Kent 11+ Familiarisation Paper

This document explains the Kent Test papers for children who will take them.

Familiarisation Paper

Kent 11+ Application Process

In the first instance, parents must register their child to sit the Kent Test, which can be done online via Kent County Council. Once students have taken the test in September, parents will receive their results in October and must then submit their Secondary Common Application Form (SCAF) via the Kent local authority website.

Kent 11+ Standardised Scores

Your child will get 3 standardised scores, one for English, one for maths and one for reasoning, and a total (aggregate) score.

Standardisation is a statistical process which compares your child's performance with the average performance of other children in each test. A slight adjustment is made to take account of each child's age so that the youngest are not at a disadvantage.

The grammar school threshold for the test will not be published until the results have been sent out.

In order to calculate a standardised score the company producing and marking the tests will create a reference table – called a “look-up table” – for each test paper that is written, and the table is specific to that test paper, because it takes account of the difficulty of the paper. The minimum standardised score is derived from the look-up table and the actual number will vary depending on the average score of all those taking the test and the number of applicants.

Below is an example look-up table. The vertical axis is the “raw score”, i.e. the number (percentage) of actual questions that a child gets right on a paper. The horizontal axis represents the age of the child at the time of taking the exam, shown as years + months.

Kent 11+ Grammar School Assessment Threshold

In 2025, the Kent Test grammar-school assessment threshold was 332, with no individual score below 108. Being assessed as suitable for grammar school does not guarantee a place at Barton Court Grammar School. Test scores ranged from 69 to 141. The highest possible total score is 423.

Kent 11+ Appeals

If your child does not reach the Kent Test grammar-school assessment threshold, their case may be considered through the local Head Teacher Assessment Panel process. The panel can consider evidence such as your child's achievement at school, examples of their work and the writing exercise completed during the Kent Test before making a decision on grammar-school suitability.

If your child is not assessed as suitable for grammar school, or a review is unsuccessful, you still have the right to appeal after school places have been allocated. Appeals are heard by an Independent Appeals Panel.

Still unsure about next steps?

Our 11+ admissions consultations help parents think through school choice, entrance pathways and preparation priorities before committing to preparation.

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In-Year Admissions at Barton Court Grammar School

Applications for admission outside the normal Year 7 entry point should be made directly to Barton Court Grammar School. Applicants will be tested by the school to assess whether they have the ability to keep pace with the work of the selective school.

FAQs: Barton Court Grammar School Admissions Process

The questions below address the issues parents most commonly misunderstand when considering this school.

How hard is it to gain admission to Barton Court Grammar School?

Barton Court Grammar School is selective and is usually oversubscribed. Passing the Kent Test therefore does not guarantee a place. If more eligible applicants apply than there are places available, the school's oversubscription criteria are used to determine which applicants are offered places.

If my child passes the test, will they automatically be accepted?

No. Passing the Kent Test does not guarantee your entry to your first-choice school. Your acceptance will be based on the number of applicants and spaces available.

What is actually tested in the entrance exam for Barton Court Grammar School?

The Kent Test assesses English, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. There is also a 40-minute writing exercise, but this is not marked as part of the standardised Kent Test score.

What does oversubscription to a school mean exactly?

Oversubscription means that more children apply for a school than there are places available.

When the school is oversubscribed, how does the school decide which children are given priority for admission?

Before oversubscription criteria are applied, children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that names the school will be offered a place.

If the number of applications exceeds the number of places available, places will be allocated in the following order of priority:

Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children
Children who are currently in care or who were previously in care.
Pupil Premium
Current Family Association (Sibling)
Children who have a sibling attending the school at the time of entry.
Medical Health, Social and Special Access Reasons
Priority may be given where a child’s physical or mental health needs, or those of a parent or guardian, make attendance at this specific school essential.
Nearness to School
Remaining eligible applicants are prioritised according to straight-line distance from the child's permanent home address to the school.

Do I have to live in Kent to apply to Barton Court Grammar School?

No — you do not have to live in Kent to apply to Barton Court Grammar School.

Families living outside Kent are welcome to apply and register for the entrance assessments. However, if the school is oversubscribed, distance from home to school is one of the factors used in the oversubscription criteria, which can make it more competitive for applicants who live further away.

What is the admissions process for this school?

Register for the Kent Test (11+)
Parents must register their child for the Kent Test through Kent County Council by the published deadline.

Receive test results
You will be informed whether your child has met the grammar school standard.

Submit the Secondary Common Application Form (SCAF)
Parents must complete the SCAF through Kent County Council, ranking schools in order of preference.

Submit the Supplementary Information Form

If you are applying under Barton Court's Pupil Premium priority criterion, you must also complete the school's Supplementary Information Form (SIF).

Offers are made
School places are offered on National Offer Day - If more eligible children apply than there are places, oversubscription criteria are used to decide who is offered a place.

Waiting list or appeal (if needed)
If a place is not offered, parents can choose to join the waiting list and/or submit an appeal.

My child has a learning difficulty - will the entrance exam be adjusted to meet their needs?

If your child has a disability or special educational needs which will affect their access to testing, you need to discuss this with their primary school's special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) before you register them for the test as the school will need to apply for any necessary access arrangements.

Does my child need to do 11-plus preparation prior to the exam?

It is helpful for pupils to practise the types of questions they may be asked, particularly verbal and non-verbal reasoning, as these question styles are often unfamiliar to many children. It is also beneficial to become familiar with exam techniques, such as working to time, understanding instructions and managing pressure on the day. Preparation can help identify and bridge any gaps in knowledge and support from an experienced tutor can guide pupils through all of these areas, building confidence and ensuring they are able to show their true ability in the test environment.

Still have questions?

We understand that parents often have specific questions when exploring schools, entrance exams or preparation options. You’re very welcome to ask us a question and we’ll do our best to point you in the right direction.

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