Apply to Dartford Grammar for Girls, in plain English.
Everything a parent needs to know about admission for September 2027 — the deadline, the 11+, the four oversubscription criteria, and what to do if your daughter doesn't get a place. The legal version is one click away.
The three things to know first.
If you read nothing else on this page, read these. They're the bits that catch parents out.
Your daughter needs the Kent 11+.
DGSF only admits girls judged "suited to grammar school" by Kent's 11+ assessment11+ / PESEKent's selective assessment in Year 6 — Maths, English and Reasoning.. Register with Kent LA in June 2026, separately from the school application.
100 of 180 places are for Dartford-area girls.
Girls living in Dartford Borough or named neighbouring parishes compete for 100 reserved places. Within that group, score decides — the highest-scoring girls get the places. The other 80 places are open to any girl who passes, also ranked by score.
Two deadlines to hit.
The SCAFSecondary Common Application FormThe form you submit to your home council listing up to six schools in order of preference. goes to your council by 31 October 2026. If you're claiming Pupil Premium, the school's Supplementary Information Form must reach DGSF by 1 November 2026.
Five steps, spread over a year.
From registering for the test to your daughter starting Year 7. Step 3 is the deadline that has caught families out — miss it and everything else doesn't matter.
If too many girls pass the 11+, these 4 criteria decide.
Every eligible girl is sorted into the highest criterion that applies to her. Within each criterion, the highest-scoring girls are offered places first. Distance breaks ties between girls with equal scores. Tap any criterion to see the document's exact wording.
In plain English: Girls currently or previously in council care get top priority, regardless of address or score. This includes girls adopted from state care abroad.
What the document says: A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions at the time of making an application. A previously looked after child means such children who were adopted (or subject to child arrangements orders or special guardianship orders) immediately following having been looked after.
In plain English: Girls who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years (but not just Universal Infant Free School Meals) get priority here. You must send the Supplementary Information Form with proof of eligibility to the school by 1 November 2026.
What the document says: A girl who is eligible for Pupil Premium at the time of entry to the school — a child is eligible for Pupil Premium where she has been registered for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last 6 years. Parents wishing to apply under this criterion must attach proof of eligibility to their Supplementary Information Form and return it to the school by 1st November 2026.
In plain English: 100 of the 180 places are reserved for girls living in Dartford Borough or in Ash-cum-Ridley, Crockenhill, Eynsford, Farningham, Fawkham, Hartley, Hextable, Horton Kirby and South Darenth, Swanley, or West Kingsdown. Within this group, higher-scoring girls rank first.
What the document says: 100 places will be reserved for girls residing in the Borough of Dartford or one of the named parishes: Ash-cum-Ridley, Crockenhill, Eynsford, Farningham, Fawkham, Hartley, Hextable, Horton Kirby and South Darenth, Swanley, West Kingsdown. Girls are ranked by highest aggregate score within this criterion; distance breaks tied scores.
In plain English: Any girl who has passed the 11+, regardless of where she lives. Ranked by score, with distance as the tiebreaker. These 80 places fill once criteria 1–3 are satisfied.
What the document says: Remaining eligible girls seeking a school place, irrespective of their address. Ranked by highest aggregate score; distance breaks tied scores; independent random selection used if both score and distance tie.
Score first. Distance only for equal scores.
Within each criterion, girls are ranked by their 11+ aggregate score. Distance from school is only a tiebreaker when two girls have exactly the same score. It is measured as a straight line between home and school using the National Land and Property Gazetteer — not by driving route.
Addresses come from the National Land and Property GazetteerNLPGThe official UK address database. Distance is a straight line between two address points: your home and a fixed point at the school.. For new-build homes not yet in the database, planning coordinates are used instead.
See the catchment on the GrammarBound mapTwo Dartford-area girls ranked by score.
Both girls live in Dartford Borough and both passed the 11+, placing them in criterion 3. Girl A scored 318 and Girl B scored 302. Girl A ranks higher because her score is higher — distance between their homes and the school is irrelevant here.
You have two routes, and you can use both.
Waiting list
Ask Kent County Council to add your daughter after National Offer DayNational Offer DayThe single day around 1 March on which every English council releases secondary-school offers.. The list is re-ranked by score every time someone joins. It is maintained until 31 December 2027.
The waiting-list form is on the KCC admissions website, not the school's.
Appeal
Write to the Clerk to the Governors at the school. Your refusal letter will include the deadline and the grounds available. Appeals are heard by an independent panel, not the school.
Running an appeal does not affect your waiting-list position.
Requests for admission outside the normal age group should be made to the Headteacher as early as possible. Where provided, evidence must be specific to your daughter. A grammar classification is still required, and agreeing to a deferred application does not guarantee a place.