Ofsted: Good schoolGrammar School trending_up Popular emoji_events #22 in Kent public Top 3% UK

Dover Grammar School for Boys

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Philip Horstrup

location_onDover, CT17 0DQ

language Visit Website phone 1304206117

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2025

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Students

835

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Attainment 8

65.4

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GCSE Rank

#19 in Kent

#151 of 3,216 nationally

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Dover Grammar School for Boys is a Foundation school secondary school in Dover, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.1×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Dover Grammar School for Boys is a foundation school in Dover, Kent, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. The school has approximately 899 pupils on roll, of whom 22% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 65.4, placing the school #19 in Kent and #151 of 3,216 nationally. 93.00% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 40.6% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 18 A-level subjects. 32.3% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 11.7% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.42 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.1× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.7:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 1.8 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

65.4

Grade 5+ E&M

93.00%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)40.6%

Entering EBacc71.90%

EBacc APS5.94

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.54

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

59.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc67.70%

EBacc APS5.33

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.56

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

60.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc72%

EBacc APS5.44

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.01

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

57.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc49%

EBacc APS5.03

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc99%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.07

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc50%

EBacc APS4.97

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.17

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc50%

EBacc APS4.99

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)95%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)86%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)94%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)96%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

100%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)96%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)0%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

-0.42

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

100

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*1.1%

Achieving A*–A11.7%

Achieving A*–B32.3%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate90.0%

A-level subjects offered18

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.11

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate94.40%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate98.50%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate98.4%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

21 January 2025

Inspection Report

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15 October 2019

Inspection Report

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02 February 2016

Inspection Report

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15 October 2013

Inspection Report

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06 April 2011

Inspection Report

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11 May 2010

Inspection Report

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15 March 2007

Inspection Report

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06 July 2005

Inspection Report

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29 November 2004

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2025-01-21

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Good

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Good

2016-02-02

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2013-10-15

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

1.8%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.6%(14 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 899 pupils. During this period, there were 16 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 1.8%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	899	16	1.8%	7.3%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	903	17	1.9%	7.8%
2023/24 (Summer term)	860	13	1.5%	7.4%
2023/24 (Spring term)	865	23	2.7%	7.1%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	867	9	1.0%	8.2%
2022/23 (Summer term)	826	17	2.1%	6.6%
2022/23 (Spring term)	835	9	1.1%	6.4%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	843	5	0.6%	5.9%
2021/22 (Summer term)	793	17	2.1%	4.7%
2021/22 (Spring term)	791	10	1.3%	4.9%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	797	15	1.9%	4.4%
2020/21 (Summer term)	765	9	1.2%	3.6%
2020/21 (Spring term)	768	2	0.3%	1.0%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	769	11	1.4%	3.9%
2019/20 (Summer term)	791	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	791	9	1.1%	3.2%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	796	19	2.4%	4.2%
2018/19 (Summer term)	792	15	1.9%	3.1%
2018/19 (Spring term)	797	9	1.1%	3.8%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	802	10	1.2%	3.8%
2017/18 (Summer term)	791	10	1.3%	3.4%
2017/18 (Spring term)	795	5	0.6%	3.0%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	799	15	1.9%	3.7%
2016/17 (Summer term)	791	5	0.6%	3.0%
2016/17 (Spring term)	793	26	3.3%	3.3%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	795	7	0.9%	3.1%

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 14 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 12 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 1 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 1 pupils