Apply to Dartford Grammar, in plain English.
Everything a parent needs to know about admission for September 2027 — the deadline, the 11+, the two-category scoring system, and what to do if your son 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 son needs the Kent 11+.
Dartford Grammar only admits boys judged "suited to grammar school" by Kent's 11+ assessment11+ / PESEKent's selective assessment in Year 6 — tests in Maths, English and Reasoning (Verbal, Spatial and Non-Verbal).. Register with KCC by 1 July 2026, separately from the school application.
Score decides who gets a place — not just address.
Unlike many grammars, Dartford Grammar ranks applicants primarily by their test score. Living in the Dartford area gives your son access to 130 reserved places, but within that group boys compete on score. The remaining 50 places are open to any boy who passes, also ranked by score.
Apply on your council's form by 31 October.
List Dartford Grammar on your council's SCAFSecondary Common Application FormThe form you submit to your home council listing up to six schools in order of preference. by 31 October 2026. If claiming Pupil Premium, send the school's supplementary form by 2 November 2026.
Five steps, spread over a year.
From registering for the test to your son starting Year 7. Step 3 is the deadline that has caught families out — miss it and everything else doesn't matter.
Score ranks within two pools of places.
180 places are split into two categories: 130 for boys living in the Dartford priority area, and 50 open to anyone. Within each category, boys are ranked by their 11+ score — the higher the score, the better the chance. Distance is only used to break exact ties. Tap any row to see the document's exact wording.
Boys living within Dartford Electoral Wards (paying council tax to Dartford Borough Council) or in one of the named neighbouring parishes: Ash-cum-Ridley, Crockenhill, Eynsford, Farningham, Fawkham, Hartley, Hextable, Horton Kirby & South Darenth, Swanley, West Kingsdown. Within this category, boys are ranked by score.
In plain English: Area-resident children currently or previously in council care get the highest priority within Category 1, regardless of score.
What the document says: A looked after child, or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after became subject to an adoption, child arrangements, or special guardianship order, including those who appear to have been in state care outside England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.
In plain English: Up to 13 of the 130 priority area places are reserved for boys eligible for Pupil Premium who score at least 20 points above the Kent Test threshold. If fewer than 13 qualify, the remaining places roll into criterion 3.
What the document says: Up to 13 places are reserved for students who are currently eligible for receipt of the Pupil Premium with a Kent test score of at least 20 points higher than the Kent Test threshold score.
In plain English: The remaining priority area places go to eligible boys ranked by their 11+ score. A boy needs to score at least 40 points above the Kent Test threshold to be considered here.
What the document says: An eligible boy's ability as indicated by his total score of at least 40 points higher than the Kent Test threshold score. Category 1 is "full" at 130 pupils or when no more qualifying candidates remain who named the school.
Any boy who has passed the Kent Test may compete for these 50 places, including boys already ranked in Category 1. Boys are ranked by score.
In plain English: Children in care or previously in care get top priority within Category 2 as well — applicable to any applicant, wherever they live.
What the document says: Same definition as Category 1 — a looked after child, or a child previously looked after who became subject to an adoption, child arrangements or special guardianship order.
In plain English: Up to 5 of the 50 open places are reserved for Pupil Premium-eligible boys from anywhere, scoring at least 20 points above the threshold. Unfilled places roll to criterion 6.
What the document says: Up to 5 places are reserved for students who are currently eligible for receipt of the Pupil Premium with a Kent test score of at least 20 points above the Kent Test threshold score.
In plain English: All remaining boys who passed the 11+, from anywhere in the country, ranked by score. Distance from school is only used where two boys have exactly the same score.
What the document says: All remaining eligible boys, ranked by total test score. In the case of tied scores, preference is given to the applicant living nearest to the school, measured in a straight line using NLPG address point data.
Score first. Distance only for equal scores.
Within both categories, boys are ranked by their 11+ test score. Distance is a tiebreaker only — it comes into play when two boys have identical scores. It is measured as a straight line between home and school, not by driving route or public transport.
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 mapHow two area-resident boys are ranked.
Both boys live in the Dartford priority area and passed the 11+. Boy A scored 310; Boy B scored 295. Both are in Category 1, but Boy A ranks above Boy B because his score is higher. Distance from school is irrelevant here — it only matters if they had identical scores.
You have two routes, and you can use both.
Waiting list
Boys who aren't offered a place are automatically added to the waiting list for schools ranked higher on their SCAF. You can also request to join. The list is maintained until August 2028 and re-ranked every time a new request arrives — using the same two-category scoring criteria. There is no "queue" position; late additions may jump above you if their score is higher.
The waiting list is managed by Kent County Council, not the school.
Appeal
Write to the Clerk to the Governors at Dartford Grammar School. Your refusal letter will include the deadline and the grounds you can use. Appeals are heard by an independent panel, not by the school itself.
Running an appeal does not jeopardise your waiting-list position.
Boys in Years 7–11 wanting to transfer should contact Dr M Kingham at the school (inyearadmissions@dartfordgrammarschool.org.uk). Applicants sit entrance tests. Requests to join outside the normal age group go to the Headteacher as early as possible, with any supporting evidence; a grammar classification is still required.
A separate route in at 16 — girls welcome too.
Year 7 is the main entry point, but the Sixth Form takes up to 150 external students each year (girls or boys). The school uses the International Baccalaureate Diploma rather than A-levels.
The grade floor.
A minimum of 52 points across your best 8 subjects (using DfE equivalence tables), with at least level 5 in both English and Mathematics. If you're proposing a subject at IB Higher Level, you need at least grade 7 at GCSE in that subject — and if Maths is your HL choice, grade 8 is required.
Not A-levels.
Dartford Grammar offers the full IB Diploma programme — a two-year course studied at Higher and Standard Level across six subjects, plus the IB Core (Theory of Knowledge, Extended Essay and CAS). Up to 340 students in total in the Sixth Form; up to 150 of these are external places. Conditional offers are made before the end of March 2027 and confirmed on GCSE results day in August 2027.
External sixth form places are for girls and boys. Oversubscription follows the same criteria order: LAC → medical need → language grade prediction → distance.