Dartford Grammar School for Girls 11 Plus: 2026 Ofsted Report, Pass Mark & Key Dates

Dartford Grammar School for Girls (DGGS) describes itself as a heavily oversubscribed school. DGGS was inspected by Ofsted on 17-18 March 2026 under the report-card framework, and the resulting report - published 15 May 2026 - rates the school 'exceptional' in four separate areas. This guide covers what that report says, how the school's admission policy treats the 180 Year 7 places on offer for September 2027, including the 100 priority-area places, the Kent Test threshold Kent has published, the key dates for September 2027 entry, and who to contact directly at the school.

Is Dartford Grammar School for Girls Still Outstanding? What the March 2026 Ofsted Report Actually Says

Ofsted's report-card format grades separate areas of a school on a scale that runs from exceptional through strong standard, expected standard and needs attention to urgent improvement. DGGS was inspected under this new framework on 17-18 March 2026, and the report was published on 15 May 2026. The school's own summary of the findings, published on its Ofsted Report page, states plainly that the report "recognises 'exceptional' practice across four areas - Achievement, Attendance and Behaviour, Personal Development and Wellbeing, and Post 16 Provision (Sixth Form)." The three remaining areas - Teaching and Curriculum, Inclusion, and Leadership and Governance - were evaluated as "Strong Standard", which the school describes as just below "Exceptional".

The report is direct about what it found. On achievement, inspectors wrote that "pupils achieve extraordinarily well." On conduct around the school, the report states that "pupils' behaviour is exemplary, both during lessons and as they move purposefully around the school." Both quotes come directly from the school's published Ofsted summary, and both come from areas the report grades as exceptional.

For context, the school's previous inspection took place on 19-20 October 2021, and concluded that DGGS "continues to be an outstanding school," with a specific note that pupils "achieve exceptionally well by the time they reach the end of Year 11." Read together, the two reports give a consistent picture: an outstanding school in 2021 and, in 2026, a school graded exceptional in four areas. You can read the official inspection record, including publication dates, directly on Ofsted's own report page for the school.

Do You Live in the Priority Area? How the Oversubscription Criteria Work

For September 2027 entry, DGGS is offering 180 Year 7 places. Of those, the school's admission policy reserves 100 places for girls residing in the Borough of Dartford or one of the named parishes. Other eligible girls are considered under the fourth oversubscription criterion, irrespective of their address.

The parishes named in the policy, alongside the Borough of Dartford, are: Ash-cum-Ridley, Hartley, Crockenhill, Hextable, Eynsford, Horton Kirby and South Darenth, Farningham, Swanley, Fawkham and West Kingsdown. Girls who have reached the required Kent Test standard and live in the Borough of Dartford or any of these parishes are considered for the 100 priority-area places.

DGGS's oversubscription order, as set out in the school's admission policy for entry in September 2027 and published on Kent County Council's admissions criteria page, ranks applicants in this sequence: Looked After and previously Looked After Children first, then children eligible for Pupil Premium under the Targeted FSM criteria, then the 100 priority-area places, and finally all other eligible girls. Understanding where your daughter sits in that order - Looked After Children first, then Pupil Premium eligibility, then address, then everyone else - is the starting point for any admissions strategy, and within each criterion girls are ranked by highest Kent Test aggregate score, then by distance from the school. For a wider view of how DGGS compares with other schools in the county, see our Kent 11+ borough guide.

What Score Do You Actually Need?

Kent County Council's published grammar school threshold for 2025 was a total score of 332 or more, with no single score lower than 108. Kent says the threshold for the 2026 test, taken for September 2027 entry, will be available in October 2026.

Each child receives three standardised scores - one for English, one for maths and one for reasoning - and a total (aggregate) score; test scores range from 69 to 141, and the highest possible total score is 423. In 2025, a total of 332 with no single score lower than 108 was the standard for being given a grammar school assessment, but being grammar assessed is not, on its own, a guarantee of a place at any specific school, since each school applies its own oversubscription criteria, including the priority-area rules explained above. Kent County Council's Kent Test results page is where each year's threshold is published, so the 2026 figure should be checked there directly once it is out.

Key Dates for September 2027 Entry: Registration, Test Day, Results

Families targeting September 2027 entry at DGGS are working to the following Kent County Council timetable. Registration for the Kent Test closed on Wednesday 1 July 2026, and the Kent Test was sat on Thursday 10 September 2026 by pupils at Kent primary schools and over the weekend of 12 and 13 September 2026 by all other pupils. The Secondary Transfer application (often referred to as SCAF) opened on Tuesday 1 September 2026; it is the formal application through which parents rank DGGS and any other preferred schools in order of preference, and the national closing date for application forms is Monday 2 November 2026 (Kent's scheme deadlines end at 23:59:59 on the date given). Kent County Council's scheme says Kent Test results will be emailed after 4pm on Thursday 15 October 2026 to parents who gave an email address when registering. Parents who gave no email address are sent a letter by first class post on Thursday 15 October 2026. National Offer Day is Monday 1 March 2027, and Kent says the grammar school threshold for 2026 will be available in October 2026.

Kent's register page says families whose child has not registered should email kent.admissions@kent.gov.uk with the child's name, date of birth, full address and current school. Kent's 2027/28 secondary determined scheme says that, apart from illness on the test dates or a move into Kent after the registration closing date, a child who has not registered for testing will not have an opportunity to sit the test until after Tuesday 27 April 2027. For the full independent and grammar school calendar alongside the Kent Test dates, see our 11+ exam dates guide, and browse our wider 11+ resources hub for preparation materials.

Inside the Kent Test at DGGS: What the Two Papers and the Unmarked Writing Task Actually Involve

The Kent Test that DGGS uses for entry is sat over two separate test sessions, plus a writing task. The first test is one hour long in total and is split into two sections, English and Maths. Each section consists of a 5-minute practice exercise followed by a 25-minute test, so children experience a short warm-up before each timed section begins.

The second test is a reasoning paper. It takes about one hour, including the practice sections and questions, and contains a verbal reasoning section and a non-verbal reasoning section of roughly the same length; the non-verbal reasoning is split into short sections, timed individually. Together, the two tests assess English, maths and reasoning, and Kent gives each child one standardised score for each of those three areas.

A writing task is also set, with 40 minutes allowed including 10 minutes of planning time. It is not marked, but Kent says it may be used by a local headteacher panel as part of the headteacher assessment stage of the process. Because a headteacher panel may use it, it is worth taking seriously even though no mark is attached to it.

For structured practice on English, maths and reasoning, plus dedicated coaching on the unmarked writing task, see our 11+ tuition programmes.

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Pupil Premium Priority: Targeted FSM and Expanded FSM

DGGS's admission policy gives a specific priority to girls eligible for Pupil Premium, ranked above the priority-area criterion but below Looked After Children. The school's admission policy for September 2027 entry counts a girl as eligible for Pupil Premium if she has been registered for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years, including Targeted FSM, which the policy says "continues to be based on the existing £7,400 income threshold", and states that "Pupil premium will only be available to those in the Targeted FSM cohort."

The distinction to be clear about is between Targeted FSM and Expanded FSM. Targeted FSM continues to be based on the existing £7,400 income threshold. Expanded FSM applies to meals only, covering pupils who do not qualify for Targeted FSM but who are in households in receipt of Universal Credit, and it does not carry the same admissions priority at DGGS. In other words, receiving free school meals through the expanded scheme does not, on its own, secure the Pupil Premium admissions priority: the policy counts a girl as eligible for Pupil Premium if she has been registered for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years, including Targeted FSM, and this does not include children who have only been eligible for Expanded FSM or Universal Infant Free School Meals. Parents of a girl registered for free school meals in the last six years must also complete the Supplementary Information Form, attach proof of eligibility and return it to the school by 1 November 2026, and families unsure which category applies to them should check directly with the school's admissions office before assuming eligibility either way.

Sixth Form Entry From Outside DGGS: The GCSE Points Bar

Girls who did not attend DGGS for Years 7-11 can still apply for Sixth Form entry, but the academic bar for external applicants is set out in the school's Year 12 admission policy for September 2027. External candidates need a minimum of 52 points across 8 GCSE subjects, along with a minimum grade 5 in Mathematics and in English Language or Literature, and must meet the subject requirements for the A Level subjects to be studied. This is a meaningful academic threshold, and families considering DGGS as a Sixth Form option from another school - rather than through the standard Year 7 Kent Test route - should check their daughter's likely GCSE profile against this bar, because admission is based solely on actual GCSE results and applications are made on GCSE results day in August.

Given that DGGS's own Post-16 Provision was one of the four areas rated 'exceptional' in the March 2026 Ofsted report, external Sixth Form applicants are joining a setting that inspectors have specifically praised, not simply continuing on from Year 11 by default. That combination - a demanding points bar and a strong, independently verified Sixth Form - is worth factoring into any comparison with other schools such as Weald of Kent or Tonbridge Grammar.

Who to Actually Contact

For any specific admissions question - whether about Year 7 entry, the priority area, Pupil Premium eligibility, or Sixth Form applications - the school's Admissions Officer is Ms Caroline Boyes, reachable on 01322 223123 ext. 249 or by email at cbo@dartfordgrammargirls.org.uk or admissions@dartfordgrammargirls.org.uk. General admissions information and links to the prospectus are also published on the school's own Admissions page.

Because the Kent Test dates, the threshold and the priority-area rules all feed into the same application, families are best served by checking the exact figures directly with the school or with Kent County Council before finalising any admissions strategy: Kent says the grammar school threshold for 2026 will be available in October 2026, and the school's admission policy for September 2027 entry sets out the priority-area rules.

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Reviewed October 2026: dates, figures and rules checked against Kent County Council's Kent Test pages and 2027/28 secondary determined scheme, Dartford Grammar School for Girls' Year 7 and Year 12 admission policies for September 2027, its Admissions and Ofsted Report pages, and Ofsted's report pages.

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