Kent
Highworth Grammar School
GCSE results 2026: every Kent school ranked · how England did
Exceptional results, but a place depends on the entrance test rather than where you live — worth a look only if you are planning to sit it.
What the data says
Published data, read plainly. It tells you what to check next; it does not guarantee a place or replace your local authority’s admissions guidance.
Attainment 8 of 69.2 is well above the national average of around 46. This reflects strong GCSE outcomes across the standard subject basket.
- 69.2
- Attainment 8
- 93%
- 5+ Eng & Maths
- 2025/2026
- Academic year
Pupils made above-average progress compared with similar pupils nationally. The confidence interval is entirely above zero, which is strong evidence of added value.
- +0.65
- Progress 8
- [0.46, 0.85]
- Confidence interval
Admissions realism depends on your home postcode and the school's published allocation data. Enter your postcode on this page to get a more specific assessment, and always verify the latest policy on the school's official admissions page.
This is a selective school. Admission usually requires passing an entrance test. Check the school's admissions policy for test registration deadlines.
Watch-outs
- Selective admissions: an entrance test (usually the 11+ or equivalent) is required. Check registration and test dates well in advance.
What to do next
- Verify the school's official admissions policy
- Check entrance test registration dates
- Book an open day or school visit
- Add this school to your shortlist and compare with backup options
Starting school in September 2027
- Secondary (Year 7): apply by 31 October 2026; offers on 1 March 2027.
National dates for England. You apply through the council where you live, even for a school in another council.
Applications and offers
National offer day figures that councils report to the Department for Education. These are counts only: they do not show how far away the last child offered a place lived.
Year 7 entry
| Year of entry | Places offered | Put it first | First choices offered | Applications (any preference) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 214 | 267 | 200 (75%) | 446 |
| September 2025 | 189 | 253 | 182 (72%) | 422 |
| September 2024 | 210 | 288 | 207 (72%) | 432 |
| September 2023 | 207 | 251 | 199 (79%) | 424 |
| September 2022 | 194 | 238 | 183 (77%) | 384 |
Source: Department for Education: Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, school-level data, published 18 June 2026. “–” means the figure was not published. The council’s own allocation figures are the official record: check Kent’s admissions page for cut-off distances, the admission rules and this year’s dates.
Performance over time
Attainment 8 over time
Progress 8 over time(not available 2024/25 or 2025/26)
University destinations
Share of this school's sixth-form leavers who went on to Oxford or Cambridge, a Russell Group university, or a university in the top third by entry grades. Department for Education data for state-funded schools and colleges.
| Left sixth form | Students | Oxford or Cambridge | Russell Group | Top-third universities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 2024-2025 tables | 218 | Not published | Not published | 37% England 19% |
| 2020/21 2023-2024 tables | 222 | Not published | Not published | 47% England 24% |
| 2019/20 2022-2023 tables | 210 | 6% England 1% | 38% England 18% | 40% England 20% |
| 2018/19 2021-2022 tables | 227 | 3% England 1% | 28% England 15% | 35% England 17% |
| 2017/18 2020-2021 tables | 213 | 3% England 1% | 23% England 16% | 28% England 18% |
| 2015/16 2018-2019 tables | 197 | 3% England 1% | 35% England 14% | 52% England 19% |
- The DfE stopped publishing Oxbridge and Russell Group shares for individual schools after the 2022-23 performance tables (students who left in 2019/20). Top-third figures continue.
- Figures are percentages of all students who finished 16 to 18 study at the school, counting those who sustained a university place in the two years after leaving.
- Rankings use the average across years weighted by the number of students; a school needs at least 2 years and 50 students to be ranked. The top-third ranking uses the latest 3 years. Ranks are among state-funded schools and colleges.
- '<0.5%' means above zero but under half a percent. 'Suppressed' means 5 or fewer students.
- Source: Department for Education, 16 to 18 progression to higher education or training (Compare school and college performance, Explore education statistics).
Entry, tests and fees
Entrance test
Registration or Kent test closes | 1st July 2026
Source · checked 28 September 2026
Registration for Kent test opens | 1st June 2026
Source · checked 28 September 2026
Kent Assessment Decisions Sent to Parents/Carers | Thursday 15th October 2026 (after 16:00)
Source · checked 28 September 2026
If your child is eligible for Pupil Premium, please click SIF-2027-2028.pdf for the supplementary form.
Source · checked 27 October 2026
Kent test date for Kent Primary Schools | 10th September 2026
Source · checked 28 September 2026
Kent test date for non-Kent Primary Schools | 12/13th September 2026
Source · checked 28 September 2026
GL Assessment: click here for materials
Source · checked 27 October 2026
Open events
Sixth Form Open Morning Booking required | Thursday 26 November 2026 (9.00-10.30am) Please book using this link
Source · checked 27 October 2026
Sixth Form Open Evening No booking required | Thursday 7 January 2027 (6.00-8.00pm)
Source · checked 27 October 2026
Admissions
Additional free online learning and 11+ exam preparation by Atom Learning is available for students who have been eligible for Free School Meals at any point in…
Source · checked 27 October 2026
Does Highworth Grammar School have a catchment area?
Source · checked 27 October 2026
We do not have a fixed catchment area. However, our fifth criterion for admission is ‘Distance from School’ which means that the further away you live, the furt…
Source · checked 27 October 2026
Sixth form
6 GCSE subjects at Grade 6 or above
Source · checked 26 October 2026
Sixth Form Open Morning Booking required | Thursday 26 November 2026 (9.00-10.30am) Please book your Open Morning place here.
Source · checked 26 October 2026
Sixth Form Open Evening No booking required | Thursday 7 January 2027 (6.00-8.00pm)
Source · checked 26 October 2026
Admissions pageTest informationSixth form
Copied from the school's and test organisers' own pages; check them before registering or applying.
Questions parents ask about Highworth Grammar School
- How good are Highworth Grammar School's GCSE results?
- In 2025/26 (provisional) pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 69.2, against 47.6 across England. 40.9% got grade 7 or above in both English and maths.
- How good are Highworth Grammar School's A-level results?
- In 2024/25 students averaged 40.0 points per A-level entry (an average grade of B). An A* is worth 60 points and an A 50.
- How hard is it to get into Highworth Grammar School?
- For September 2026, 267 families put it first for 214 Year 7 places: 1.2 first choices per place. It is a grammar school, so children must reach the pass mark in its 11-plus test; its admission policy sets how passing children are ranked.
- How many Highworth Grammar School students go to Oxford or Cambridge?
- 3.7% of its sixth-form leavers went to Oxford or Cambridge, and 30.9% to Russell Group universities (2015/16–2019/20), from Department for Education destination data.
Historical results
| Year | Pupils | Att8 | P8 | 5+ E&M | 7+ E&M | EBacc % | EBacc APS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/2026 (provisional) | 220 | 69.2 | — | 92.7% | 40.9% | — | — |
| 2024/2025 | 214 | 70.8 | — | 95.3% | — | 95.8% | 6.7 |
| 2023/2024 | 217 | 68.8 | +0.65 | 89.4% | — | 95.9% | 6.5 |
| 2022/2023 | 222 | 69.7 | +0.71 | 91.4% | — | 95.5% | 6.5 |
| 2021/2022 | 194 | 73.8 | +0.95 | — | — | 96.0% | 7.0 |
EBacc figures stop at 2024/2025: the DfE no longer publishes them from 2025/2026.
Nearby and similar schools
Other secondary schools in Kent for local comparison.
School information
| URN | 136379 |
| Local authority | Kent |
| Region | South East |
| Phase | Secondary |
| Type | Academy converter |
| Gender of entry | Girls |
| Age range | 11-18 |
| Headteacher | Headteacher Duncan Beer |
| Trust | HIGHWORTH GRAMMAR SCHOOL TRUST |
| Admissions | Selective |
| Religious character | Does not apply |
| Postcode | TN24 8UD |
| Pupils | 1,543 |
| FSM eligible | 7.9% |
Contact and identifiers
Maidstone Road, Ashford, Kent, TN24 8UD
http://www.highworth.kent.sch.uk/View local authority page1233624910| DfE number | 4092 |
| UKPRN | 10032347 |
| Opened | 1 Jan 2011 |
| GIAS updated | 25 Mar 2026 |
Data sources and freshness
| Official record updated | 25 Mar 2026 |
| Latest KS4 year | 2025/2026 |
| Latest KS2 year | — |
| Ofsted published | 11 Feb 2025 |
Latest Ofsted inspection
| Quality of education | Outstanding |
| Behaviour and attitudes | Outstanding |
| Personal development | Outstanding |
| Leadership and management | Outstanding |
| Safeguarding | Effective |
| Inspection type | S5 Inspection |
| Category of concern | — |
| Inspection date | 14 Jan 2025 |
| Publication date | 11 Feb 2025 |