How does Gravesend Grammar School decide places?
By where a boy lives and how far away, not by score. After looked after children, medical and social reasons, siblings and children of staff, places go to boys living in the Borough of Gravesham, then to two lists of nearby parishes, then to everyone else. In March 2026, 145 of the 210 places went to boys in Gravesham and 35 to the first list of parishes; none reached the more distant parishes or beyond.
Published figures
| Criterion | Places |
|---|---|
| EHCP | 1 |
| Looked after children | 0 |
| Eligible boys with siblings | 26 |
| Eligible boys of member of staff | 3 |
| Eligible boys in Gravesham | 145 |
| Eligible boys in listed civil Parishes | 35 |
| Eligible boys in more distant civil parishes | 0 |
| All other eligible children | 0 |
For entry in September 2026. The row names are the school’s own.
How places are decided
- The school will admit 210 boys into Year 7 in September 2027. Entry is through the Kent Test.
- If there are more eligible boys than places the order is: looked after and previously looked after children; medical, health, social and special access reasons; siblings; children of staff; boys living in the Borough of Gravesham; boys living in a first list of civil parishes; boys living in a second, more distant list of civil parishes; then all other eligible boys.
- The first list of civil parishes is Ash-cum-Ridley, Bean, Fawkham, Hartley, Longfield and New Barn, Southfleet, Swanscombe and Greenhithe, Stansted and the Unparished Area of Ebbsfleet. The second, more distant list is Stone, Darenth, Horton Kirby and South Darenth, Cliffe and Cliffe Woods.
- Within each of those groups, boys in receipt of the Pupil Premium are ranked first, and everyone is ranked by distance from home to the school, nearest first. Equal distances are settled by random selection. The criteria do not use the Kent Test score: a boy needs the grammar assessment, and after that his score plays no part.
- The school publishes how many places it offered under each criterion, not the furthest distance offered. In March 2026 all 210 places were offered without reaching the more distant parishes or boys living elsewhere.
- For September 2026 entry the school had 255 first preferences, and 643 preferences in all, for its 210 places.
- A supplementary form is needed only for boys in receipt of the Pupil Premium. It goes to the school by 31 October in the year of application.
Questions parents ask
Does passing the Kent Test guarantee a grammar school place?
No. Passing makes your child eligible, but grammar schools are often oversubscribed and each one ranks the eligible children by its own admissions criteria. Some rank by score, some by where you live and how far away, and some by both.
Will my child get free transport to a grammar school?
Not automatically. As a general rule Kent gives free transport only where the school is the nearest appropriate school and more than three miles from home. An offer of a grammar school place does not guarantee transport if another mainstream school is closer.
A cut-off or a distance is what was needed that year. It changes every year and is not a promise for the next. The school’s own website is gravesendgrammar.com.
Sources: Admission arrangements 2027-28 · Allocation of places and the case for the school, 2026 · Apply for a Kent grammar school place · Admission to secondary school in Kent 2027 (guide for parents)
Checked on 5 October 2026. If you spot something out of date, please tell us.
