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Dartford Grammar School for Girls

Secondary Ages 11-18 1,257 pupils Dartford
Ofsted: Strong standard
All schools in Dartford

Dartford Grammar School for Girls is an academy converter in Dartford for pupils aged 11 to 18. It has 1,257 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Dartford Grammar School for Girls is Strong standard, from an inspection in May 2026. In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 77.3, and 98% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE. It is hard to get into: 275 of the 428 families who put it first for a Year 7 place in September 2026 did not get one. Pupils turn up more reliably than at most other secondary school: they missed just 4.6% of sessions in 2024/25, against 8.4% nationally.

Ofsted inspection: May 2026. GCSE results: 2026. A-level results: 2025.

Type Secondary / Academy converter
Age Range 11-18
Religion Unknown
Address Shepherds Lane
Dartford
Kent
DA1 2NT
Phone 01322223123
Reference Number 144100

General Makeup

Number of pupils 1257
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 6.68%
Girls: 93.32%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 23.9%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 37.3%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 21.1

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
7 Unknown 180 180
8 Unknown 180 180
9 Unknown 180 180
10 Unknown 179 179
11 Unknown 179 179
12 51 131 182
13 33 144 177

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
African 37.2%
Indian 16.4%
Asian, Other 11.1%
White, British 6.8%
Mixed, Other 5%
Chinese 4.5%
White, Other 4.1%
Pakistani 3.2%
White & Asian 1.1%
Caribbean 0.7%
White & Black (African) 0.5%
Unclassified 0.2%
White & Black (Caribbean) 0.1%
Irish 0.1%

Dartford Grammar School for Girls excels in providing high-quality education where pupils achieve extraordinary results. The school has established a strong culture of safeguarding, and its rigorous academic offerings prepare students exceedingly well for future endeavors. With exceptional standards in attendance, behavior, and personal development, pupils not only perform academically but also develop into well-rounded individuals. The leadership team is committed to ensuring every student receives the highest standard of education and personal support, reflecting the school's ethos of inclusivity and ambition for all learners.

Overall Ofsted Rating Strong standard
 >  Leadership & Governance Strong standard
 >  Personal Development & Wellbeing Exceptional
 >  Achievement Exceptional
 >  Attendance & Behaviour Exceptional
 >  Curriculum & Teaching Strong standard
 >  Inclusion Strong standard
 >  Post-16 Provision Exceptional
Last Report Date 17 Mar 2026
Date Report
17 Mar 2026 School inspection
19 Oct 2021 School inspection
06 Jun 2017 Academy conversion letter
21 Jun 2016 Full inspection:
Previously as Dartford Grammar School for Girls
16 Nov 2011 Full inspection:
30 Jun 2010 Interim assessment
25 Apr 2007 Full inspection:
15 Oct 2001 Full inspection

Strengths

  • Pupils achieve extraordinarily well academically.
  • Very high attendance and punctuality rates.
  • Exceptional provision for personal development and wellbeing.
  • Strong post-16 provision with excellent career guidance.
  • Well-sequenced and broad curriculum that promotes deep understanding.
  • Highly effective leadership and governance.

Areas for Improvement

  • Need to enhance governance for increased corporate rigour.
  • Strategies for responsive teaching could be further refined.

Attainment 8 Score

Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:

  • English
  • Maths
  • 3 subjects from qualifications that count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), like sciences, language and history
  • 3 more GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or technical awards from a list approved by the Department for Education

Each grade a pupil gets is assigned a point score from 9 (the highest) to 1 (the lowest). These scores are added up, with English and maths counted twice.

School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
77.3

GCSE Results

Metric School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Grade 5 or above in English and maths 97.8%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4 (or A-C) 100%

Attainment 8 Score

Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:

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GCSE Results

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Grades

School Local Nationwide
Average Grade B C C+
Average Grade (best 3) B C+ C+
Percentage Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Students getting AAB or better 19.9%
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Year 7 admissions, 2026 entry

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 257 14
Third Preference 218 4
From another Local Authority 801 56

Previous years

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Places and pupil numbers

In 2024–25 Dartford Grammar School for Girls had 1,246 pupils for 1,272 places. 26 places (2.0%) were unfilled.

Pupils and places

Year 7 intake in the “Secondary SG - North West Kent” planning area

Kent counted 726 Year 7 pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 744 in 2031–32, up 2%.

2018201920212022202320242025
Places 1,1471,1471,2501,2501,2601,2601,272
Pupils 1,1471,1611,2411,2391,2481,2421,246
Unfilled 0.0%0.0%0.7%0.9%1.0%1.4%2.0%

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 Dartford Grammar School for Girls attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 8.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

2018201920212022202320242025
Authorised absence 2.8%2.8%2.3%3.7%4.0%4.1%4.2%
Unauthorised absence 0.2%0.5%0.2%0.4%0.5%0.3%0.4%
Severely absent pupils 0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%0.4%0.3%

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, 1.5% of pupils at Dartford Grammar School for Girls were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

20182019202020212022202320242025
Suspensions per 100 pupils 0.81.90.81.82.71.51.81.8
Permanent exclusions 00000000

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 Dartford Grammar School for Girls had 16.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

201820192020202120222023202420252026
Pupils per adult 14.213.914.114.114.313.513.012.312.6
Teachers who left state teaching 4.5%4.9%2.4%6.0%6.4%7.6%7.6%6.4%–
Teachers who took any sick leave 64.9%65.8%–47.7%78.5%73.8%80.2%75.0%–
Sick days per teacher 2.62.8–2.26.25.46.26.9–

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, 4.5% of pupils at Dartford Grammar School for Girls were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 0.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

SEN support EHC plan
Specific learning difficulty 19 1
Social, emotional and mental health 18 0
Autistic spectrum disorder 9 2
Physical disability 7 1
Speech, language and communication needs 2 0
Vision impairment 1 1
Hearing impairment 1 0

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 2024–25 Dartford Grammar School for Girls received £6,825 and spent £7,053 for each of its 1,248 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,365,000 (£1,895 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

2019202020212022202320242025
Revenue reserve £498,000£808,000£1,299,000£2,009,000£2,434,000£2,631,000£2,365,000
per pupil £428£675£1,044£1,619£1,950£2,113£1,895
In-year balance -£51,000£46,000-£101,000£181,000£423,000£164,000-£285,000
per pupil -£44£38-£81£146£339£132-£228

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

Name Distance
West Hill Primary Academy
Dartford Road, Dartford, Kent, DA1 3DZ
0.27 miles
Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, Dartford
King Edward Avenue, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2HX
0.31 miles
Westgate Primary School
Summerhill Road, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2LP
0.31 miles
Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Dartford
Chatsworth Road, Dartford, Kent, DA1 5AF
0.63 miles
Wentworth Primary School
Wentworth Drive, Dartford, Kent, DA1 3NG
0.69 miles
Oakfield Primary Academy
Oakfield Lane, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2SW
0.74 miles
River Mill Primary School
Central Road, Dartford, DA1 5XR
1.04 miles
Leigh Academy Dartford
York Road, York Road, Dartford, Kent, DA1 1SQ
1.07 miles
Wilmington Primary School
Common Lane, Wilmington, Dartford, Kent, DA2 7DF
1.08 miles
Haberdashers' Crayford Primary
Iron Mill Lane, Crayford, Dartford, Kent, DA1 4RS
1.1 miles
Temple Hill Primary Academy
St Edmund's Road, Temple Hill, Dartford, Kent, DA1 5ND
1.29 miles
St Anselm's Catholic Primary School
Littlebrook Manor Way, Temple Hill, Dartford, Kent, DA1 5EA
1.31 miles
St Paulinus Church of England Primary School
Iron Mill Lane, Crayford, Dartford, Kent, DA1 4RW
1.43 miles
Maypole Primary School
Franklin Road, Dartford, Kent, DA2 7UZ
1.54 miles
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
Old Road, Crayford, Dartford, Kent, DA1 4DZ
1.56 miles
The Gateway Primary Academy
Milestone Road, Dartford, Kent, DA2 6DW
1.6 miles
Joydens Wood Infant School
Park Way, Bexley, Kent, DA5 2JD
1.63 miles
Dartford Bridge Community Primary School
Community Campus, Birdwood Avenue, Dartford, Kent, DA1 5GB
1.66 miles
Joydens Wood Junior School
Birchwood Drive, Wilmington, Dartford, Kent, DA2 7NE
1.68 miles
The Brent Primary School
London Road, Stone, Dartford, Kent, DA2 6BA
1.81 miles
Name Distance
Dartford Science & Technology College
Heath Lane, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2LY
0.11 miles
Dartford Grammar School
West Hill, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2HW
0.14 miles
North Kent College
Oakfield Lane, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2JT
0.77 miles
Wilmington Grammar School for Girls
Parsons Lane, Wilmington, Dartford, Kent, DA2 7BB
0.98 miles
Wilmington Grammar School for Boys
Common Lane, Wilmington, Dartford, Kent, DA2 7DA
1.13 miles
Leigh Academy Wilmington
Common Lane, Wilmington, Kent, DA2 7DR
1.17 miles
Haberdashers' Crayford Academy
Iron Mill Lane, Crayford, Dartford, Kent, DA1 4RS
1.22 miles
Leigh UTC Dartford
Brunel Way, Dartford, Kent, DA1 5TF
1.42 miles
Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy
Green Street Green Road, Dartford, Kent, DA1 1QE
1.45 miles
Shenstone School
94 Old Road, Crayford, Kent, DA1 4DZ
1.57 miles
Endeavour Academy Bexley
Woodside Road, Bexleyheath, Kent, DA7 6LB
1.75 miles
Stone Lodge School
Stone Lodge Road, Dartford, Kent, DA2 6FY
1.89 miles
St Catherine's Catholic School
Watling Street, Bexleyheath, Kent, DA6 7QJ
2.16 miles
St Columba's Catholic Boys' School
Halcot Avenue, Bexleyheath, Kent, DA6 7QB
2.16 miles
Beths Grammar School
Hartford Road, Bexley, Kent, DA5 1NE
2.3 miles
Woodside Academy
Colyers Lane, Erith, Kent, DA8 3PB
2.34 miles
Leigh Academy Bexley
Avenue Road, Erith, Kent, DA8 3BN
2.68 miles
Lift Bexleyheath
Woolwich Road, Bexleyheath, Kent, DA6 7DA
2.69 miles
Townley Grammar School
Townley Road, Bexleyheath, Kent, DA6 7AB
2.81 miles
Harris Academy Riverside
London Road, Purfleet, Essex, RM19 1QY
2.92 miles

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

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

The latest Ofsted rating for Dartford Grammar School for Girls is Strong standard, from an inspection in May 2026.

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

Dartford Grammar School for Girls was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does Dartford Grammar School for Girls have?

Dartford Grammar School for Girls has 1,257 pupils on roll.

What age range does Dartford Grammar School for Girls cover?

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

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

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 77.3, and 98% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Dartford Grammar School for Girls?

Dartford Grammar School for Girls is at Shepherds Lane, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2NT.

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