Know exactly where your child stands for Dover Grammar School for Boys
Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact Dover Grammar School for Boys 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact Dover Grammar School for Boys 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
Dover Grammar School for Boys
Dover Grammar School for Boys admits boys for Year 7 entry via the GL 11+ exam. There is no interview stage as part of the admissions process. The school is a selective grammar school for boys aged 11-16.
If your son will do his best in a place that feels ambitious without being a pressure cooker, Dover Grammar School for Boys is worth a close look. It is a selective grammar set on a hilltop with views over the town and across the Channel, a setting most schools would envy. Its origins lie in the Education Act 1902, and it opened in 1905 as the Dover County School, part of the early growth of state secondary education in the town. It took its present name under the 1944 Act and has carried that grammar tradition through the century since, taking boys from 11 to 16 and admitting boys and girls into the sixth form.
The school has stood on its Astor Avenue site since the buildings first opened in 1931, and in July 2022 it moved into a new, purpose-built block on the same grounds, with the original ninety-year-old building cleared for landscaped gardens. Its motto, 'Fiat Lux', Let There Be Light, runs through what it does, and it describes a learning community shaped by every member. Sport is a real strength, with football, rugby and cricket teams regularly winning county and district competitions, and there is a wide choice of clubs beyond lessons, from jazz band to film club.
Dover Grammar School for Boys suits a capable boy who will respond to a supportive, ambitious environment rather than a high-pressure one, and leave as an independent, resilient and self-assured young adult. Led by headteacher Philip Horstrup since September 2018, it is a school that wants every boy to leave it more sure of himself than when he arrived.
Key facts
Admissions
Admissions contact
office@dgsb.co.uk
Admissions phone
01304 206117
Registration form
Sibling policy
What this school tests
Kent Test
English
- Punctuation
- Reading Comprehension - Comparison
- Reading Comprehension - Evaluation
- Reading Comprehension - Grammar and punctuation
- Reading Comprehension - Inference and Deduction
- Reading Comprehension - Information Retrieval
- Reading Comprehension - Language Techniques and Imagery
- Reading Comprehension - Sentence-level Comprehension
- Reading Comprehension - Sequencing
- Reading Comprehension - Structure, Form, Voice and Tone
- Reading Comprehension - Summarising
- Reading Comprehension - Text Classification and Purpose
- Reading Comprehension - Types of Words and Phrases
- Reading Comprehension - Word Meaning / Choice
- Sentence Completion
- Spelling
Maths
- Algebra
- Angles and Degrees
- BIDMAS
- Coordinate Grids
- Estimation and Rounding
- Factors and Multiples
- Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
- Magic squares
- Measurement
- Money
- Number and Place Value
- Number Walls
- Operations
- Perimeter, Area and Volume
- Position and Direction
- Properties of Shapes
- Ratio and Proportion
- Reflection, Rotation and Symmetry
- Sequences
- Special Numbers
- Speed, Distance and Time
- Statistics
- Time
Non-verbal Reasoning
- Extended Figure Series
- Figure Analogies
- Figure Matrices
- Figure Operations
- Figure Series
- Grid Matrices
- Horizontal Codes
- Most Like Three Figures
- Most Like Two Figures
- Odd Figure Out
- Star Matrices
- Triangle Matrices
- Triangle Series
- Vertical Codes
Verbal Reasoning
- Anagrams
- Compound Words
- Embedded Words
- Form a Word
- Insert a Letter
- Letter Analogies
- Letter Calculations
- Letter Codes
- Letter Grids
- Letter Sequences
- Move 1 / 2 Letters
- Number Analogies
- Number Calculations
- Number Sequences
- Related Words
- Rhyming Synonyms
- Shuffled Sentences
- Synonyms
- Word / Logic Puzzles
- Word Analogies
- Word Completion
- Word Match
- Word Opposites
- Word Pairs
- Word Relationships
- Words and Codes
Spatial Reasoning
- 2D Rotations
- Block Counting
- Combining Shapes
- Fold and Punch
- Folding Cubes
- Hidden Shapes
- Missing Face of Cube
- Shape Completion
Catchment area
Does Devonport High School for Girls have a catchment area?
No, the school doesn't have a catchment area.
Selection review and safety net
Previous exam results
GCSE results
In 2025 students achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 65.4 across their GCSEs. 93% gained a grade 5 or better in both English and Maths. 41.2% achieved the English Baccalaureate at grade 5 or above.
Reference: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/
A-level results
In 2025 students achieved a C- average grade per A-Level entry. 5.6% gained AAB or better including two facilitating subjects.
Reference: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/
Frequently asked questions
What exam board does Dover Grammar School for Boys use for the 11+?
Dover Grammar School for Boys uses the GL exam board for its 11+ entrance exam.
Does Dover Grammar School for Boys interview as part of the 11+ process?
No, there is no interview stage for 11+ entry at Dover Grammar School for Boys.
Is Dover Grammar School for Boys a single-sex or co-educational school?
Dover Grammar School for Boys is a single-sex school for boys from Year 7 to Year 11. It admits boys and girls into the sixth form.
What is the official website for Dover Grammar School for Boys?
The official website for Dover Grammar School for Boys is https://www.dgsb.co.uk/.
What is the 11+ exam structure at Dover Grammar School for Boys?
The 11+ exam at Dover Grammar School for Boys is a single-stage process.
What type of school is Dover Grammar School for Boys?
Dover Grammar School for Boys is a selective grammar school.
How do you get a place at Dover Grammar School for Boys?
Your son first needs to reach the required standard in the Kent Test or the school's own Dover Boys Test; passing either route is enough. There is no catchment area. If more boys qualify than there are places, they are ranked in this order: looked-after and previously looked-after children; boys in receipt of Pupil Premium; boys with a brother or sister already at the school; health and special access reasons; children of staff; then nearest home by straight-line distance.
What happens if my child is ill on 11+ test day at Dover Grammar School for Boys?
If your son is too unwell to sit the Dover Boys Test on the set day, tell the school as soon as you can and provide a GP note. The school will arrange an alternative date as quickly as possible. The same applies for absence due to religious observance. If he sits the Kent Test instead, Kent County Council handles any timetable variation. Access arrangements, such as extra time, must be requested through your child's primary school before the deadline.
Location
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d2503.9077448686194!2d1.2902284!3d51.1286097!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x47debb27015be4fd%3A0xd7268bece25b4246!2sDover%20Grammar%20School%20for%20Boys!5e0!3m2!1sen!2suk!4v1780591953552!5m2!1sen!2suk
