Highsted Grammar School 11+ Exam

Key Information about Highsted Grammar School

Highsted Grammar School is a selective grammar school in Kent.

Unlike most Kent grammar schools, Highsted Grammar School offers two routes to grammar-school assessment. Girls wishing to sit the school's optional Highsted Test must also register for the Kent Test. They do not need to pass both assessments to be considered for admission.

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

Highsted Grammar School at a glance

School: Highsted Grammar School

Address: Highsted Road, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 4PT

Entry Age: 11+ / Year 7

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

Gender: Girls

Number of pupils: 793

Number of Places in Year 7: 150

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

12-13 September (Non-Kent Primary Schools)

Highsted Test Date: 12 September 2026

Results: 15 October 2026

Test Providers: GL Assessment (Kent 11+) and Highsted Test

About Highsted Grammar School

Highsted Grammar School is a smaller than average selective grammar school in Kent that educates girls from 11-18. The school offers a wide range of subjects and has a strong emphasis on modern foreign languages.

Highsted Grammar School specialises in all aspects of musical performance and competition. The school also provides an extensive programme of extra-curricular and enrichment activities such as subject clubs, sports fixtures and career conventions.

Highsted Grammar School was graded Good in their most recent Ofsted inspection (2023).

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour and attitudes:

Good

Personal development:

Good

Leadership and management:

Good

Sixth form provision:

Good

View Highsted Grammar School's Ofsted report here.

Highsted Grammar School Exam Routes

Highsted Grammar School offers two routes to grammar-school assessment. Girls can qualify for admission through the Kent Test (PESE) or through the school's optional Highsted Test. Girls wishing to sit the Highsted Test must also register for the Kent Test.

The Highsted Test provides an additional opportunity for girls who have taken part in the Kent Test process to demonstrate their suitability for grammar-school education. A girl who reaches the required standard through either assessment can be considered for admission, and the Highsted Test has equal status to a Kent Test grammar-school assessment when applying the school's oversubscription criteria.

Not sure which Highsted route your daughter needs to prepare for?

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

Find out more about our 11+ Admissions Consultation

How to Prepare for the Highsted Test

Your child will need to develop the following skills:

Verbal Ability

Numeracy

Non-Verbal Reasoning

English – Reading and Writing

Highsted Exam Format

The assessments will comprise of the following:

a computer-based test which will assess Verbal Ability, Numeracy nd Non-Verbal Reasoning. These results will be locally standardised. This is a multiple choice exam.

an English paper which will assess reading and writing. This is a standard format, written exam.

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

Please note that the grammar school assessment threshold can change 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.

Preparing for Highsed 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

In-Year Admissions at Highsted Grammar School

In-Year Casual Admissions (IYCA) are assessed by the school if there is a place available in the appropriate school year. After completing the application form, your child may be invited for an assessment.

Their suitability will be decided by:

results from nationally recognised tests e.g. SATs

cognitive testing of Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning with written tests in either English, Maths or Science

level of attainment as shown by work from their previous school

FAQs: Highsted 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 Highsted Grammar School?

Highsted Grammar School is selective, so girls must demonstrate that they are suitable for grammar-school education through either the Kent Test or Highsted Test. If more eligible girls 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. It is not uncommon that the number of students who passed the test will be greater than the number of places available. If more eligible applicants apply than there are places available, the school's published oversubscription criteria determine which children are offered places.

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

Girls applying to Highsted Grammar School can demonstrate their suitability for grammar-school education through either the Kent Test or the school's optional Highsted Test. Girls wishing to sit the Highsted Test must also register for the Kent Test.

The Kent Test assesses English, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, with an additional 40-minute writing exercise that is not included in the standardised score.

The Highsted Test comprises a computer-based assessment of verbal ability, numeracy and non-verbal reasoning, together with an English paper assessing reading and writing skills.

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
Children who have been registered for Free School Meals (FSM) at any point in the last six years may be eligible for priority under this criterion.
Current Family Association
Children who have a sibling attending the school at the time of entry.
Nearness to School

Do I have to live in Kent to apply to Highsted Grammar School?

No — you do not have to live in Kent to apply to Highsted 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+) and the Highsted Test (optional)
Parents must register their child for the Kent Test through Kent County Council by the published deadline. Register for the Highsted test through the school's website.

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 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.

Ask Us a Question

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse