About the school
Barton Court Grammar School is a co-educational selective grammar school located on Longport in Canterbury, Kent. Known as an Academy of Excellence with a focus on languages and digital learning, the school combines academic ambition with a strong emphasis on independent learning and personal development.
Barton Court Grammar School was founded before the Second World War as the Canterbury Technical School for Girls and moved to its present Longport site in 1945, with its historic main house dating back to the late eighteenth century. It became an academy in 2011 and educates around 840 students aged 11 to 18.
As a Kent grammar school, Barton Court Grammar School selects pupils through the Kent Test (the Kent Procedure for Entry to Secondary Education, or PESE), provided by GL Assessment, with admissions coordinated by Kent County Council.
School type
Co-Educational Grammar
Exam date
Around September 10, 2026 (Kent pupils); weekend of September 12–13, 2026 (out-of-county)
Exam board
Kent Test (PESE) – GL Assessment
Address
Longport, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1PH
Age range
11–18 (Years 7–13)
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Admissions information
The Barton Court Grammar School entrance test is the Kent Test, administered through Kent County Council. Here is everything you need to know about the admissions process and exam structure.
Barton Court Grammar School selects pupils using the Kent Test (PESE), provided by GL Assessment and used by most Kent grammar schools. Barton Court does not run its own separate entrance test. The Kent Test covers English, Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, with all reasoning, English and maths sections in multiple-choice format on a separate answer sheet.
The Kent Test consists of two papers, each lasting around one hour – one reasoning paper (verbal and non-verbal reasoning) and one English and Maths paper – plus a separate writing task of around 40 minutes that is used only in borderline cases. All scores are age-standardised so that younger children are not disadvantaged.
Registration for the Kent Test is completed online through the Kent County Council website. For 2026, registration opens on Monday 1st June 2026 and closes at midnight on Wednesday 1st July 2026; late registrations are not accepted. Parents must then name Barton Court Grammar School on the Kent Secondary Common Application Form by 31st October 2026.
The Kent Test takes place in September of Year 6, with results issued by Kent County Council on Thursday 15th October 2026, before the Common Application Form deadline. To be assessed as suitable for grammar school, a child needs a total aggregate score of 332 or more, with no single score below 106. School allocations are confirmed on National Offer Day, 1st March 2027.
Key admissions details
Barton Court Grammar School has a Published Admission Number of 150 places for Year 7 each year.
Barton Court Grammar School does not have a fixed catchment boundary. Entry depends first on achieving the qualifying standard in the Kent Test, after which places are allocated using the school’s oversubscription criteria: looked-after and previously looked-after children, then children eligible for Pupil Premium, then children with a sibling at the school, then those with health and special access reasons, and finally by nearness of the child’s home to the school, measured in a straight line. Priority in practice is given to children living closer to the school.
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Barton Court Grammar School was founded before the Second World War as the Canterbury Technical School for Girls and moved to its present Longport site in 1945. It became a co-educational academy in 2011 and now educates around 840 students aged 11 to 18.
Barton Court Grammar School has a Published Admission Number of 150 places for Year 7 each year. Demand for places is high, and the school is regularly oversubscribed, making thorough Kent Test preparation essential.
Barton Court Grammar School uses the Kent Test (PESE), provided by GL Assessment. It consists of a one-hour reasoning paper and a one-hour English and Maths paper, both multiple-choice, plus a short writing task used only in borderline cases. The school does not run its own separate entrance test.
To be assessed as suitable for a Kent grammar school, a child needs a total aggregate score of 332 or more in the Kent Test, with no single score below 106. Meeting this standard makes a child eligible for consideration but does not guarantee a place, as the school is oversubscribed and applies its admissions criteria.
Registration for the 2026 Kent Test opens on Monday 1st June 2026 and closes at midnight on Wednesday 1st July 2026. Registration is completed online through the Kent County Council website, and late registrations are not accepted.
Yes. Barton Court Grammar School offers a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities in sport, drama, music and leadership, and is well known for its Enrichment Day and Enrichment Week, which let students try new activities and discover their interests.
Yes, all our tuition is available both in-person at our Edgbaston, Birmingham centre and online via live video sessions. Online tuition gives families across Canterbury and Kent access to our expert tutors without the need to travel. The quality and personalisation of sessions is identical in both formats.
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