The Harvey Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide

About The Harvey Grammar School

The Harvey Grammar School is a boys’ state grammar school in Folkestone, Kent, taking pupils from age 11 to 18. Alongside the Kent Test, Harvey also runs its own additional assessment, the Shepway Test, shared with The Folkestone School for Girls.

Entry into Year 7 is by the Kent Test or the Shepway Test, both sat in September of Year 6.

Key information for 2027 entry to The Harvey Grammar School at 11 Plus (11+)

• School type: boys’ state grammar school
• Test provider: Kent Test (GL Assessment papers, administered by Kent County Council) or the school’s own Shepway Test (developed by CEM at Cambridge University)
• Kent Test registration opens – deadline: 1 June – 1 July 2026
• Shepway Test registration opens – deadline: 1 June – 17 July 2026
• Kent Test date: Thursday 10 September 2026 (Kent primary schools) or the weekend of 12-13 September 2026 (out-of-county and home-educated children)
• Shepway Test date: Saturday 12 September 2026
• Results date: Thursday 15 October 2026
• SCAF deadline: 31 October 2026
• National Offer Day: 1 March 2027
• Contact details: harveygs.kent.sch.uk

Admissions information for 2027 entry to The Harvey Grammar School at 11 Plus (11+)

Boys can become eligible for a place at Harvey through the county-wide Kent Test, set by GL Assessment and run by Kent County Council. For a general explanation of how the Kent Test works, see our full Kent Test guide.

Harvey also runs its own additional assessment alongside the Kent Test, known as the Shepway Test, in partnership with The Folkestone School for Girls. This gives boys who did not reach the required standard in the Kent Test a second opportunity to be assessed as suitable for a grammar school place; your son only needs to meet the standard in one of the two tests. You register for the Shepway Test separately, directly with the school, in addition to registering for the Kent Test.

Registration for the Kent Test is completed directly with Kent County Council, not with Harvey, between 1 June and 1 July 2026. You must separately name The Harvey Grammar School on your Secondary Common Application Form (SCAF) by 31 October 2026. Registering for either test and applying for a school place are different steps, and both are required.

How can I register my child for the 11 Plus (11+) exams at The Harvey Grammar School?

Registration for the Kent Test is completed on the Kent County Council website. Registration for the Shepway Test is completed separately, directly with Harvey, via an online form on the school’s own admissions page.

Make sure you check the school’s admissions page and the Kent County Council website for the current registration links, as the exact process and closing times are confirmed there each year.

The application process is:

• Register your son for the Kent Test with Kent County Council between 1 June and 1 July 2026
• If you also want to keep the Shepway Test route open, register separately with Harvey between 1 June and 17 July 2026
• Sit the Kent Test in September 2026, either at his Kent primary school or, for out-of-county and home-educated children, at a test centre, and/or sit the Shepway Test on Saturday 12 September 2026
• Complete the Secondary Common Application Form (SCAF), naming The Harvey Grammar School, by 31 October 2026
• Receive your offer on National Offer Day, 1 March 2027

What is the 11 Plus (11+) entrance exam format for The Harvey Grammar School?

Boys applying to Harvey can be assessed through the county-wide Kent Test, the school’s own Shepway Test, or both.

The Kent Test is made up of two multiple-choice papers plus a separate writing task:

• Paper 1 (English and maths) – about an hour, in two sections. Each section starts with a short practice exercise before a timed 25-minute test.
• Paper 2 (verbal and non-verbal reasoning) – about an hour, split into a verbal reasoning section and a non-verbal reasoning section of roughly equal length.

There is also a writing task of 40 minutes, including about 10 minutes for planning. This is not scored as part of the Kent Test result; it is kept on file and only looked at by a headteacher panel if a child is referred for a closer look. Multiple-choice answers go on a separate answer sheet that is read by a machine, not written in the question booklet itself.

The Shepway Test is different in format. It has a computer-based element covering comprehension, vocabulary, mathematics and non-verbal reasoning, plus a separate handwritten creative writing task of around half an hour. It is held at Harvey for boys. Check the school’s admissions page for the precise structure and timings, as these are set by the school rather than by Kent County Council.

A rough guide to the topics covered across both tests:

• Maths – arithmetic, fractions, decimals and percentages, measurement, geometry, statistics and word problems
• English – comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and sentence completion
• Verbal reasoning – word and logic puzzles such as letter sequences, codes and hidden words
• Non-verbal reasoning – patterns, sequences, rotations and odd-one-out questions with shapes

The Harvey Grammar School 11 Plus (11+) top tips for your child

• Get comfortable with all four areas: English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Both the Kent Test and the Shepway Test draw on this same core knowledge, so keep everything ticking over rather than focusing on just one subject.
• Use the short practice exercise at the start of each Kent Test section properly! It is there to show you exactly what to do, so listen carefully and ask yourself if you understand before the timed section begins.
• Practise on a separate answer sheet. Getting used to finding the right box and shading it in properly means one less thing to think about on the day.
• If you are trying the Shepway Test too, get comfortable working on a computer screen as well as on paper, so neither format feels unfamiliar.
• Plan before you write. In both writing tasks, a few minutes spent thinking of a beginning, middle and end will make your writing clearer.
• Don’t panic about one hard question! Move on, keep your pace steady, and come back to anything you have skipped if there is time left.

How to prepare your child for the 11 Plus (11+) The Harvey Grammar School exam

Whichever route you are aiming for, preparing for Harvey starts with the Kent Test itself: English, maths, verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and the separate writing task, since every applicant needs to register for it.

The most useful way to prepare is to use practice tests that match this format, so your son gets used to working across all four subjects, transferring answers to a separate answer sheet, and keeping to time in each section. That familiarity is what stops the format itself being a surprise on the day. If you are also registering for the Shepway Test, the official CEM familiarisation materials on the school’s admissions page are the right place to see its computer-based layout.

For The Harvey Grammar School 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs: