Ofsted: Outstanding schoolGrammar School trending_up Popular emoji_events #8 in Kent public Top 2% UK

Highworth Grammar School

verifiedData: DfE & Ofsted 2024/25

personMr Duncan Beer

corporate_fareHIGHWORTH GRAMMAR SCHOOL TRUST

location_onAshford, TN24 8UD

language Visit Website phone 1233624910

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2025

groups

Students

1,542

trending_up

Attainment 8

70.8

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GCSE Rank

#6 in Kent

#102 of 3,216 nationally

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Highworth Grammar School is a Academy converter secondary school in Ashford, serving ages 11-18. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Demand is above capacity (1.4×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Highworth Grammar School is an academy converter in Ashford, Kent, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of HIGHWORTH GRAMMAR SCHOOL TRUST. The school has approximately 1,543 pupils on roll, of whom 8% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 70.8, placing the school #6 in Kent and #102 of 3,216 nationally. 95.30% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 56.6% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 28 A-level subjects. 67.6% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 34.3% at A*–A. A-level value added: 0.0 — sixth-form progress was broadly average.

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

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.4× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.9:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.1 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: Department for Education 2024/25, Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

70.8

Grade 5+ E&M

95.30%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)56.6%

Entering EBacc95.80%

EBacc APS6.7

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.65

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

68.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc95.90%

EBacc APS6.54

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.71

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

69.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc95%

EBacc APS6.55

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.95

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

73.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc96%

EBacc APS7.03

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc98%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

1.04

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

73.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc100%

EBacc APS7

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.98

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

71.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc99%

EBacc APS6.95

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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

100%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)99%

Apprenticeships0%

EmploymentSP%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)SP%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)99%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)0%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

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

Apprenticeships1%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)97%

ApprenticeshipsSP%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

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

Apprenticeships0%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

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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

0.0

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

223

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*11.8%

Achieving A*–A34.3%

Achieving A*–B67.6%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate96.9%

A-level subjects offered28

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.23

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

234

Retention rate95.70%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

229

Retention rate95.60%

2022

Avg Grade

B+

Students

228

Retention rate96.1%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

14 January 2025

Inspection Report

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13 June 2013

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2025-01-14

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

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2013-06-13

S5 Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2009-03-25

None EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

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

0.1%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.1%(1 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 1,543 pupils. During this period, there were 2 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.1%, 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)	1,543	2	0.1%	7.3%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,540	0	0.0%	7.8%
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,534	4	0.3%	7.4%
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,536	0	0.0%	7.1%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,535	8	0.5%	8.2%
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,541	8	0.5%	6.6%
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,542	3	0.2%	6.4%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,541	4	0.3%	5.9%
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,519	1	0.1%	4.7%
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,530	6	0.4%	4.9%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,534	3	0.2%	4.4%
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,516	1	0.1%	3.6%
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,519	1	0.1%	1.0%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,524	3	0.2%	3.9%
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,516	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,516	1	0.1%	3.2%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,517	2	0.1%	4.2%
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,487	1	0.1%	3.1%
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,493	0	0.0%	3.8%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,494	2	0.1%	3.8%
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,452	2	0.1%	3.4%
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,455	0	0.0%	3.0%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,454	0	0.0%	3.7%
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,407	2	0.1%	3.0%
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,410	1	0.1%	3.3%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,407	3	0.2%	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 36 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 23 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 15 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 8 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 5 pupils

Physical Disability 5 pupils

Hearing Impairment 3 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

Multi-Sensory Impairment 2 pupils

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Highworth Grammar School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Selective Admission (Grammar)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Kent

Dartford Grammar School

The Judd School

Tonbridge Grammar School

Dartford Grammar School for Girls

Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School

Invicta Grammar School