Dover Grammar School for Girls

Dover Grammar School for Girls is a welcoming, inclusive and ambitious school where pupils and sixth-form students are happy, attend well and respond positively to high expectations. The school has a caring ethos, strong relationships and effective safeguarding, and parents are very positive about their children's experience. Pupils behave well, take pride in their work and benefit from a broad curriculum, a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities and strong sixth-form provision. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, and in most subjects it is designed and delivered well. Teachers generally have strong subject knowledge, create positive learning environments and check understanding effectively. Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported appropriately, reading has a central place across the school, and personal development and careers guidance are strong. Leadership is effective, staff feel supported, and governors work well with leaders to set priorities. The main area for improvement is that appropriate discussion about the subject matter being taught is not promoted in all lessons. As a result, some pupils do not always deepen their understanding, engage fully or rehearse their thinking before writing. The school should share existing good practice so that this becomes the norm. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic; it had been exempt from routine inspection until November 2020 and had not been inspected under section 5 since November 2013. Since September 2024, schools are no longer awarded an overall effectiveness grade.

Strengths

• Inclusive, welcoming and ambitious environment for all pupils and sixth-form students
• High attendance and pupils who enjoy coming to school
• Clear values of building character, fostering respect and achieving success
• Caring and supportive ethos with a strong focus on mental well-being
• Strong relationships between pupils and staff
• Good behaviour in lessons and around the school site
• Broad range of extra-curricular opportunities, including sports, performing arts and a school magazine
• Sixth-form students act as strong ambassadors and mentors
• Parents are very positive about the school
• Broad and ambitious curriculum designed to build knowledge over time
• Strong subject knowledge and clear presentation in most lessons
• Effective revisiting of content so pupils remember important ideas
• Pupils try hard, take pride in their work and produce high-quality work
• High-quality sixth-form care and education
• Quick and accurate identification of pupils with SEND, with well-adapted support
• Reading has a central importance, including support for pupils who need help and a culture of reading for pleasure
• Well-constructed PSHE programme and strong careers guidance
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Well led school with attention to staff workload and well-being

Areas for Improvement

• Appropriate discussion about subject matter is not promoted in all lessons, so some pupils do not always deepen understanding, engage fully or rehearse thinking before writing

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Dover Grammar School for Girls attended 93.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 3.3% of pupils at Dover Grammar School for Girls were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Dover Grammar School for Girls had 15.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 6.0% of pupils at Dover Grammar School for Girls were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 0.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Dover Grammar School for Girls received £7,279 and spent £7,350 for each of its 847 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £118,000 (£139 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Dover · Kent local authority: places and applications

What is Dover Grammar School for Girls's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Dover Grammar School for Girls is Good, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was Dover Grammar School for Girls last inspected by Ofsted?

Dover Grammar School for Girls was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does Dover Grammar School for Girls have?

Dover Grammar School for Girls has 847 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dover Grammar School for Girls cover?

Dover Grammar School for Girls for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Dover Grammar School for Girls's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 56.7, and 70% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Dover Grammar School for Girls?

Dover Grammar School for Girls is at Frith Road, Dover, Kent, CT16 2PZ.