About the school
Dartford Grammar School is a selective boys’ grammar school located on West Hill in Dartford, Kent, with a co-educational sixth form. Founded in 1576, it is one of the oldest schools in England and is well known for its strong academic results and its international outlook.
Dartford Grammar School is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, delivering the IB Middle Years Programme approach in the lower years and the IB Diploma in the sixth form. The curriculum is unusually international: all pupils begin an Oriental language such as Mandarin Chinese or Japanese from Year 7, with a European language added from Year 8. The school became an academy in 2010.
As a Kent grammar school, Dartford 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
Boys’ Grammar (Mixed Sixth Form)
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
West Hill, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2HW
Age range
11–18 (Years 7–13)
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Admissions information
The Dartford 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.
Dartford Grammar School selects pupils using the Kent Test (PESE), provided by GL Assessment and used by most Kent grammar schools. The school 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 English and Maths paper and one reasoning paper (verbal and non-verbal reasoning) – 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 Dartford 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
Dartford Grammar School has a Published Admission Number of 180 places for Year 7 each year.
Dartford Grammar School divides its places between two zones, each ranked by Kent Test score. A set of places is reserved for Zone A – boys whose permanent home address is within the Dartford Electoral Wards that pay council tax to Dartford Borough Council (including Brent, Bean and Darenth, Castle, Greenhithe, Heath, Joyce Green, Joydens Wood, Littlebrook, Longfield, New Barn and Southfleet, Newtown, Princes, Stone, Sutton-at-Hone and Hawley, Swanscombe, Town, West Hill and Wilmington), with the remaining places open to applicants regardless of address. Within each zone, eligible boys are ranked by combined Kent Test score, with distance used as a tie-break.
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Dartford Grammar School was founded in 1576, making it one of the oldest schools in England. It is a selective boys’ grammar school in Dartford, Kent, with a co-educational sixth form, became an academy in 2010, and is an International Baccalaureate World School.
Dartford Grammar School has a Published Admission Number of 180 places for Year 7 each year. The school is highly oversubscribed, making thorough Kent Test preparation essential.
Dartford Grammar School uses the Kent Test (PESE), provided by GL Assessment. It consists of a one-hour English and Maths paper and a one-hour reasoning paper, both multiple-choice, plus a short writing task used only in borderline cases. The school does not run its own separate entrance test.
Dartford Grammar School divides its places between two zones. A set of places is reserved for Zone A (boys living in the Dartford Electoral Wards), with the remaining places open to applicants regardless of address. Within each zone, eligible boys are ranked by Kent Test score, with distance used only as a tie-break.
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. Dartford Grammar School offers a broad enrichment programme alongside its International Baccalaureate curriculum, including sport, music, the arts and a strong emphasis on languages and global awareness.
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 Dartford and the wider Kent area 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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