Barton Court Grammar School vs Maidstone Grammar School

Side by side

	Barton Court Grammar School	Maidstone Grammar School
Phase	Secondary	Secondary
Gender	Mixed	Boys
Pupils on roll	1,005	1,443
Free school meals	10.7%	8.7%
Ofsted rating	Good	Good
Attainment 8 — 2024/25	66.4	68.4
A-level average points — 2024/25	37.51	38.67
11+ test board	GL Assessment	GL Assessment
Admission system	score-ranked (places allocated in score order, no fixed threshold)	score-ranked (places allocated in score order, no fixed threshold)
Places offered — 202627	125	205
First preferences per place — higher means more competition for a first-preference place	1.16	1.15

Qualifying scores

Barton Court Grammar School

332 out of 423 (2026 entry)

Aggregate ≥332 with no single paper below 108. County-wide Kent Test threshold: reaching it earns a 'suitable for grammar school' assessment, NOT a place — each school then applies its own oversubscription criteria, and super-selective schools (The Judd School, Skinners', Tonbridge, Dartford) fill in score order well above the threshold.

Council source ↗

Maidstone Grammar School

332 out of 423 (2026 entry)

Aggregate ≥332 with no single paper below 108. County-wide Kent Test threshold: reaching it earns a 'suitable for grammar school' assessment, NOT a place — each school then applies its own oversubscription criteria, and super-selective schools (The Judd School, Skinners', Tonbridge, Dartford) fill in score order well above the threshold.

Council source ↗

Who gets priority

Where a school is oversubscribed, these are the first criteria applied, in order. This is usually what decides an application.

Barton Court Grammar School

Looked after children and previously looked after children
Children with exceptional medical/social needs, supported by professional evidence
Children living in the school's designated area or linked primary school catchment
Siblings of children on roll at the school

Source: school admissions policy.

Maidstone Grammar School

Looked after children and previously looked after children
Children with exceptional medical/social needs, supported by professional evidence
Children living in the school's designated area or linked primary school catchment
Siblings of children on roll at the school

Source: school admissions policy.

Choosing between them

Barton Court Grammar School is a mixed school and Maidstone Grammar School is a boys school, so for many families the starting point is which one can admit their child. The figures on this page are the published ones — they describe intakes and results, not what either school would be like for your child. The right choice depends on your family's own priorities and circumstances.

Other Kent comparisons

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