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Dane Court Grammar School vs Dover Grammar School for Girls

Both are grammar schools in Kent, 16.4 miles apart. Side-by-side on official DfE, Ofsted and council admissions data.

Side by side

Dane Court Grammar School Dover Grammar School for Girls
Phase Secondary Secondary
Gender Mixed Girls
Pupils on roll 1,152 847
Free school meals 19.3% 20.3%
Ofsted rating Good Not judged
Attainment 8 — 2025/26 67.2 56.7
11+ test board GL Assessment GL Assessment
Admission system pass/fail then criteria order (score doesn't give priority after passing) pass/fail then criteria order (score doesn't give priority after passing)
Places offered — 202627 165 140
First preferences per place — higher means more competition for a first-preference place 1.39 1.27

Qualifying scores

Dane 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 ↗

Dover Grammar School for Girls

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.

Dane Court Grammar School

  1. Looked after and previously looked after children
  2. Medical, health and special access reasons
  3. Children eligible for the Pupil Premium
  4. A sibling on roll at the time of entry
  5. Nearness of home to the school

Source: school admissions policy.

Dover Grammar School for Girls

  1. Looked after and previously looked after children
  2. A brother or sister at the school when the child starts
  3. Health and special access reasons
  4. Children eligible for the Pupil Premium (free school meals in the last six years)
  5. Nearness of home to the school (straight line)

Source: school admissions policy.

Choosing between them

Dane Court Grammar School is a mixed school and Dover Grammar School for Girls is a girls 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.

Full detail for each school: Dane Court Grammar School · Dover Grammar School for Girls
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