Dover Grammar School for Girls 11+ Exam

Key Information about Dover Grammar School for Girls

Dover Grammar School for Girls is a selective grammar school in Kent.

Dover Grammar School for Girls has its own admissions criteria and eligible applicants can also be assessed through the school's optional Dover Test.

Passing the Kent Test does not guarantee a place at Dover Grammar School for Girls. If more eligible applicants apply than there are places available, the school's published oversubscription criteria determine which applicants are offered places.

Dover Grammar School for Girls 11+ at a glance

School: Dover Grammar School for Girls

Address: Frith Road, Dover CT16 2PZ

Entry Age: 11+ / Year 7

School Website: www.dggs.kent.sch.uk

Gender: Girls

Number of pupils: 847

Year 7 Places: 140

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

12-13 September (Non-Kent Primary Schools)

Dover Test Date: 12 September 2026

Results: 15 October 2026

Exam Providers: GL Assessment (Kent 11+) and Quest (Dover Test)

About Dover Grammar School for Girls (DGGS)

Dover Grammar School for Girls is a selective grammar school which was founded over 100 years ago. It educates girls aged 11 to 18 and admits boys into the sixth form.

The school prides itself on providing a challenging and intellectual curriculum which promotes a love of learning, boosts self-esteem and raises aspirations.

The school offers a wide range of clubs and activities to enrich students' school experience. These include: Duke of Edinburgh Award; sports clubs including netball, hockey, football and cheerleading; Amnesty International; Interact and Film club.

Ofsted made the following key judgements* following the school inspection of Dover Grammar School for Girls (2025):

Quality of education:

Good

Behaviour and attitudes:

Good

Personal development:

Good

Leadership and management:

Good

Sixth form provision:

Good

View Dover Grammar School for Girls' Ofsted report here.

Dover Grammar School for Girls 11+ Exam Routes

Unlike most Kent grammar schools, Dover Grammar School for Girls offers two routes to grammar-school assessment. Your child can be assessed through either the Kent Test or the school's own Dover Test. You do not need to pass both tests to be eligible. Either assessment route can establish grammar-school eligibility.

Not sure which Dover 11+ route your daughter needs to prepare for?

We can help you understand the Kent Test and Dover Test and identify where your daughter would benefit from additional preparation.

Find out more about our 11+ Admissions Consultation

Application Process for Dover Grammar School for Girls

Entrance to Dover Grammar School for Girls is through successful completion of either the Kent Test or the school's own entrance exam (Dover Test).

Parents who wish to use the Kent Test should register their child through Kent County Council. Families who wish to use the Dover Test must register separately with the school.

Registering for the Kent Test can be done online via Kent County Council.

Families wishing to enter their child for the Dover Test must register directly with the school, following the school's published registration process.

Once students have taken the test in September, parents will receive their results in October and must then submit their Secondary School Common Application Form (SCAF) via the Kent local authority website. You should indicate that Dover Grammar School for Girls is your school of preference.

Dover Test

The Dover Test is run by Quest Assessments. Your child will sit a multiple-choice English and Maths paper. The Quest 11+ is designed to assess what children have covered in school up to the end of Year 5, so there’s no need for them to learn Year 6 topics or content beyond the primary curriculum

Assessments may include:

English (reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, spelling)
Mathematics (problem-solving, arithmetic, reasoning)

Familiarisation Paper

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 Dover Grammar School for Girls. Test scores ranged from 69 to 141. The highest possible total score is 423.

Please note that the pass mark changes each year. Being assessed as suitable for a grammar school does not necessarily guarantee a place at a particular grammar school. Schools rank eligible applicants according to its oversubscription criteria.

Kent 11+ Appeals

If your child did not reach the threshold score and their primary school referred their case to the local Head Teacher Assessment Panel, the panel will have looked at their achievement in school and examples of their work, including the writing task completed on the day, before a final decision was made.

If your child does not qualify, the Head does not seek a review or if the review is unsuccessful, you still have the right to have your child’s case heard by an Independent Appeals Panel. You are only able to appeal a decision after school allocations have been sent out to parents in March.

In-Year Applications at Dover Grammar School for Girls

The school will coordinate in-year admissions for year groups other than the normal points of entry.

Preparing for the Dover 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.

Explore Our 11+ Tuition Services

FAQs: Dover Grammar School for Girls Admissions Process

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

How hard is it to gain admission to Dover Grammar School for Girls?

Dover Grammar School is a selective grammar school and children must pass an entrance examination to be considered for admission. In recent years the number of applicants has exceeded the number of available places. In short, pupils need strong test performance and, when there are more eligible applicants than places, they must also meet the school’s oversubscription criteria to secure a place.

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. Whether your child is offered a place will depend on the number of eligible applicants, the number of places available and the school's oversubscription criteria.

What is actually tested in the entrance exam for Dover Grammar School for Girls?

There are two different entrance tests available: the Kent Test and Dover Test. 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. The Dover Test assesses English and Mathematics only.

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.
Sibling Link (Current Family Association)
Children who have a sibling attending the school at the time of entry.
Health 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.
Children Eligible for Pupil Premium
Children who have been registered for free school meals at any point within the last six years.
Distance from Home to School
Priority is given to children who live closest to the school, measured in a straight line using the National Land and Property Gazetteer.

Do I have to live in Kent to apply to Dover Grammar School for Girls?

No — you do not have to live in Kent to apply to Dover Grammar School for Girls.

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.

Optional: Register for the Dover Test
Families may also choose to enter their child for the Dover Test, which is the school’s own entrance assessment. Registration for this test must be completed directly with the school by the stated 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 your child has been registered for free school meals in the last 6 years, complete this form.

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 special educational needs or a disability – can they receive access arrangements?

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.

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