Procedures for Entry to Secondary Education (PESE)
Applications for a secondary school place (Year 6 into Year 7) during the coordinated round must be made to the home Local Authority (Kent County Council, if you live in Kent) using their SCAF (Secondary Common Application Form) or online process. Applications for September 2025 admissions must be made by Thursday 31 October 2024. School places can only be allocated by the Local Authority, not the school. The exception to this is when a place is awarded by an Independent Appeal Panel and the school is instructed by them to offer a place.
If your child is eligible for Pupil Premium, please click here for the supplementary form.
The Kent County Council PESE coordinated round runs from June (when you register your child to sit the Kent Test) to the middle of April the following year. Late applications received after 17 March 2025 must be made directly to KCC, using the Post Reallocation Secondary Common Application Form (PRSCAF). These will be considered after 24 April 2025, in accordance with a process similar to the in year admissions process. Late applications from the end of the academic year in July 2025 become an 'In Year' application and should be made directly to the school.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need to pass the Kent Test to be admitted to Highworth Grammar School?
Yes – we are a selective girls’ school and entry into Year 7 is only for students who have passed the Kent Test and been ‘G’ (grammar) assessed. However, if your daughter did not pass, then there is an appeals process.
Is there any material available about the Kent Test?
Kent Test familiarisation material is available from:
- Kent County Council: click here for the Familiarisation Booklet
- GL Assessment: click here for materials
Additional free online learning and 11+ exam preparation by Atom Learning is available for students who have been eligible for Free School Meals at any point in the last six years. Further information can be found on our Pupil Premium page by clicking here.
My daughter is in Year 6 and passed the Kent Test, what happens next?
You must submit your secondary school application (SCAF) by midnight on Thursday 31 October 2024. Applications are by Kent Admissions Procedure for Entry to Secondary Education (PESE). The best way to apply is online at www.kent.gov.uk/ola. If you want your daughter to come to Highworth, you should put us as first choice.
If you need help, you should speak to staff at your daughter’s primary school or call the KCC Secondary Admissions Team on 03000 412121 or email kentonlineadmissions@kent.gov.uk. KCC will notify you on Offer Day (Monday 3 March 2025) which school your daughter has been given.
My daughter sat the Kent Test but did not pass, can I appeal?
Please read our information on the appeals process Year 7 Appeals for September 2025
My daughter is in Year 5 at a Kent primary school, when will she sit the Kent Test?
The Kent Test (also known as the 11+) is taken in September of Year 6. You must register your daughter for the Kent Test in June (whilst your daughter is in Year 5) to sit the test the following September. This is best done online but a paper form (SCAF) is also available if required. Advice and guidance is available from your daughter’s primary school. [Tip: Make sure your daughter works hard in Year 5 to produce very good work as this might be included in any Headteacher appeal.]
What happens if my daughter is ‘G’ assessed but not offered a grammar school place?
If your daughter is ‘G’ assessed, this does not guarantee that she will be offered a grammar school place. If we receive more applications than we have places to offer, the school will apply its oversubscription criteria to determine which children it can take. If we are unable to offer a place due to oversubscription, you automatically have the right to appeal if Highworth is named on the SCAF.
We have moved / are planning to move to Kent after children have taken the Kent Test, how will my daughter be considered for a grammar school place?
Or
My daughter did not sit the Kent Test, can she still be considered for a grammar school place?
If you live in a county bordering Kent or currently live elsewhere in the UK, but plan to move to Kent in time for your child to start secondary school in September, and you want to apply to a selective school, you should register your child to take the Kent Test as described above.
If you live close to the Kent border and your daughter attends a Kent primary school, she will be able to take the test in school with her peers. However, if your daughter attends primary school in a county other than Kent, the test will be taken at a venue in Kent the weekend after the test is taken in Kent schools. Once you have been informed of your child’s assessment, you should use the SCAF supplied by your own Local Authority to apply for your chosen schools and ensure that you submit it by Thursday 31 October 2024.
If you move(d) to Kent after registration has closed, you should contact KCC IMMEDIATELY to find out whether your daughter can take the Kent Test late.
If you do not yet have an address in Kent or you live in Kent but missed the deadline to register your daughter for the Kent Test, you will have to wait until March when you are allocated a secondary school. If you are not happy with the secondary school you are offered in March and want to apply to a grammar school, please read the KCC information at https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places/move-to-a-different-school#grammar
Does Highworth Grammar School have a catchment area?
We do not have a fixed catchment area. However, our fifth criterion for admission is ‘Distance from School’ which means that the further away you live, the further down the ranking list you will be.
If I have further questions, who should I contact?
Please ensure you read the information provided in the Admission to Secondary School booklet or visit the KCC website at http://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places/secondary-school-places
KCC Admissions team tel: 03000 412121 or email: kentonlineadmissions@kent.gov.uk
Highworth Grammar School admissions: Mrs J Kemp email: j.kemp@highworth.kent.sch.uk
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