Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact Gravesend Grammar School 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 Gravesend Grammar School 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
If your son is bright but more drawn to making and doing than to dusty tradition, Gravesend Grammar may fit him well. It is a selective boys' school taking pupils at eleven, with a sixth form that opens its doors to both boys and girls. The school has an unusual history: it was opened in July 1893 by Princess Beatrice, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria, and its origins lie in the town's municipal technical school, which set out to teach practical subjects such as art and science, often in the evenings so that working students could attend. That hands-on streak still marks the school out from grammars that lean more heavily on classical tradition.
The school describes a set of plain values it expects pupils to live by: respect, hard work, friendship and exploration. The aim is to hold traditional standards in a modern setting rather than for their own sake, with a calm, purposeful atmosphere and a real care for pupils as people, not just as a set of marks. It is a down-to-earth place that prizes effort and decency, and that practical heritage still shows in how it teaches and what it values.
Gravesend Grammar suits a boy who enjoys being challenged academically but who also responds to a practical, no-nonsense school that cares as much about how he treats others as how he performs. He will be expected to work hard and to muck in, and in return he is known and looked after rather than left to sink or swim. Led by headteacher Malcolm Moaby, it offers academic ambition without grandeur, the kind of school where a willing, curious boy can settle in and quickly feel at home.
Yes
Does Gravesend Grammar School have a catchment area?
Yes. After looked-after, medical and sibling priority, places are given first to boys living in the Borough of Gravesham, then to those in named civil parishes nearby (including Hartley, Longfield, Southfleet, Swanscombe and Greenhithe). Boys from anywhere can apply and qualify on the Kent test, but those closer to the school have higher priority if it is oversubscribed.
Gravesend Grammar School uses the GL exam board for its 11+ entrance exam.
No, Gravesend Grammar School does not include an interview stage in its 11+ admissions process.
Gravesend Grammar School is a single-sex boys' school for 11+ entry. Its sixth form is co-educational.
Yes, Gravesend Grammar School has a catchment area. Priority is given to boys in the Borough of Gravesham and specific nearby civil parishes.
The official website for Gravesend Grammar School is https://www.gravesendgrammar.com/.
Your son first needs to reach the required standard in the Kent Test. If more eligible boys apply than there are places, the school ranks them in this order: looked-after and previously looked-after children; children with a medical, social or access need; those with a sibling already at the school; children of staff; boys living in the Borough of Gravesham; then named parishes further out; then all others. Within each group, Pupil Premium children rank highest, then distance decides.
Gravesend uses the Kent Test, run by Kent County Council. If your son is too unwell to sit it on the day, tell his primary school and Kent admissions as soon as you can. Kent can arrange a later sitting where there is a genuine reason such as illness. Any access arrangements or extra time, for a disability or special need, must be set up through his primary school SENCO before you register, by the Jul deadline.
