Dartford Grammar School for Girls 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide

About Dartford Grammar School for Girls

Dartford Grammar School for Girls is a state grammar school for girls aged 11 to 18, in Dartford, North-West Kent. It is a popular, oversubscribed school with a Published Admission Number of 180 for Year 7.

Entry to Year 7 is through the Kent Test, the shared 11 Plus (11+) exam used by every grammar school in Kent, so your daughter sits one test that can be used for any Kent grammar school you name on your application.

Of the school’s 180 places, 100 are reserved for girls living within the priority area and the remaining 80 are open to any girl who meets the qualifying standard, wherever she lives. The school does not publish a separate score cut-off, but as an oversubscribed school, a strong score helps, especially for the 80 open places, which draw applicants from a much wider area.

Key information for 2027: Dartford Grammar School for Girls at 11 Plus (11+)

• School type: State grammar school (girls)
• Consortium: Kent 11+ Consortium
• Registration deadline: midnight, Tuesday 1 July 2026, at kent.gov.uk/kenttest
• Exam date: Thursday 10 September 2026 (Kent primary schools); Saturday 12 or Sunday 13 September 2026 (children at schools outside Kent, at a test centre)
• CAF deadline: end of October 2026
• National school offer day: March 2027
• Contact details: 01322 223123, [email protected], www.dartfordgrammargirls.org.uk, kent.gov.uk/kenttest

Admissions information for 2027 entry: Dartford Grammar School for Girls at 11 Plus (11+)

Registration for Year 7 entry through the Kent Test is made online at kent.gov.uk/kenttest and closes at midnight on 1 July 2026. Your daughter will sit the test in September, with results emailed after 4pm on results day in October.

You must also submit your Secondary Common Application Form (CAF) to your home local authority by the end of October, listing Dartford Grammar School for Girls among your preferences; the order you list schools in reflects your order of preference.

To be eligible for any Kent grammar school, your daughter needs to meet the countywide qualifying threshold, a total standardised score of 332 with no single score below 107. Dartford Grammar School for Girls does not publish a separate score cut-off, but the Published Admission Number is 180, split between 100 priority-area places and 80 open places, and the school is regularly oversubscribed.

How can I register my child for the 11 Plus (11+) exam at Dartford Grammar School for Girls?

To register your daughter for the Kent Test, you as her parent or legal guardian complete the online registration at kent.gov.uk/kenttest, before the 1 July 2026 deadline.

Registering does not commit you to Dartford Grammar School for Girls: you still choose which schools to name, and in what order, on the secondary application form in the autumn.

What is the 11 Plus (11+) entrance exam format for Dartford Grammar School for Girls?

Dartford Grammar School for Girls selects through the Kent Test, set by GL Assessment and run by Kent County Council. It is two multiple-choice papers and a writing exercise, all sat on the same morning, with answers marked on a separate answer sheet.

• Paper 1 (English and maths): around one hour, including short practice exercises before each timed section. The English section includes a comprehension exercise; the maths section covers the Year 5 curriculum at pace.
• Paper 2 (reasoning): around one hour, including practice sections. A verbal reasoning section and a non-verbal reasoning section of roughly equal length.
• The writing exercise: 40 minutes, including 10 minutes of planning. It is not scored, but may be considered if a borderline result goes to a headteacher assessment panel.

Your daughter receives three standardised scores, one each for English, maths and reasoning, adjusted slightly for her age so that younger children in the year group are not disadvantaged.

How to prepare your child for the 11 Plus (11+) Dartford Grammar School for Girls exam

Because the open places at Dartford Grammar School for Girls are competitive, the aim is not just to clear the qualifying threshold but to push your daughter’s score comfortably above it. Regular practice with verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning question types makes the biggest difference, since these subjects are not widely taught in primary schools.

Full, timed practice tests under exam conditions are the best way to build speed and confidence for the real thing, alongside plenty of reading for the comprehension section and regular practice transferring answers to a separate answer sheet against the clock.

For Dartford Grammar School for Girls (Kent Test) 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs: