Highworth Grammar School 11+ Exam

Key Information about Highworth Grammar School:

Highworth Grammar School is a selective girls' grammar school in Kent.

Highworth Grammar School uses the Kent Test for Year 7 entry.

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

Highworth Grammar School at a glance

School: Highworth Grammar School

Address: Maidstone Road, Ashford, Kent, TN24 8UD

Entry Age: 11+ / Year 7

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

Gender: Girls

Number of pupils: 1553

Year 7 Places: 210

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 Highworth Grammar School

Highworth Grammar School has been educating students in the Ashford community for over a century. The school is a selective girls’ grammar school for pupils aged between 11 and 18. It is girls-only from Year 7 to Year 11, but boys are admitted to the Sixth Form.

Highworth Grammar School is a designated physical disability school and offers selective places to students with a range of physical disabilities, including wheelchair users.

Music is one of Highworth’s main priorities and the school offers many musical opportunities. The school encourages students to be involved in music in some way.

Ofsted made the following key judgements following the school inspection of Highworth Grammar School on 14 January 2025:

Quality of education:

Outstanding

Behaviour and attitudes:

Outstanding

Personal development:

Outstanding

Leadership and management:

Outstanding

Sixth form provision:

Outstanding

View Highworth Grammar School's Ofsted report here.

Preparing for Highworth 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

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

Passing the Kent Test does not guarantee a place at Highworth Grammar School. The Kent Test determines whether a child is assessed as suitable for grammar school; where more eligible children apply than there are places available, Highworth applies its published oversubscription criteria to determine which children are offered places.

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.

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 Highworth Grammar School

Applications should be made to the school via the submission of an In Year Application Form (IYAF).

If a Year 7 student did not sit the Kent 11+, they will be required to complete additional testing. Before 31 December of that year, students will take the Kent 11+. From 1 January, students will sit a CAT4 test plus a writing examination.

All applications for year 8 and above require students to sit a CAT4 test plus a writing exam.

FAQs: Highworth 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 Highworth Grammar School?

Highworth 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. It is likely 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 oversubscription criteria are used to determine which applicants are offered places.

What is actually tested in the entrance exam for Highworth 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 priortity 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 at any point in the last 6 years.
Current Family Association
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

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

No — you do not have to live in Kent to apply to Highworth 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 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?

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