Admissions Information

Once MGGS, Always MGGS!

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls complies with the Co-ordinated Admissions Scheme run by the Kent Local Authority.

Applications for Admission

Students admitted at the start of Year 7 will be those who have been judged suitable for grammar school education under the Kent selection procedure. Applications should be made via the Local Authority (LA). All applications will be considered by Kent Admissions and ranked in order of priority in the event of the school being oversubscribed using the criteria below.

Our Admissions Policy can be found on our Policies Page.

MGGS has a Supplementary Information Form (SIF) for entry. This is specifically for Pupil Premium Notification & Children previously in Care outside of England. If this does not apply there is no requirement to complete this form. This form does not constitute a valid application. You must complete the relevant KCC Application Form (SCAF or IYCAF) if you wish your daughter to be considered for a place at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, these are available directly from KCC. The SIF should be completed and returned to the school by 31st October for Year 7 of the year of admissions, to notify us that you are applying for a Pupil Premium place. Please see https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals for full details of the eligibility criteria you will need to evidence. This should be sent to The Admissions Manager, Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, Buckland Road, Maidstone, Kent ME16 0SF or email to admissions@mggs.org.

The Kent Tests (11+)

The Kent Tests taken in September are a multiple choice English and Maths paper and a multiple choice reasoning paper containing a verbal reasoning section and a non-verbal reasoning section. Reasoning tests look at how quickly and efficiently students solve problems of increasing difficulty. These include questions using words or numbers and patterns and sequences. The tests are marked and the scores standardised. Standardisation means that each student’s score can be compared with those achieved by other students of the same age. An allowance is made so that the youngest students are not disadvantaged. Students also complete a piece of writing under test conditions.

Further Admissions and Appeals Information

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls is a selective Grammar school. The school will admit girls into years 7 – 11 and girls and boys into years 12 and 13.

Year 7 Admissions

Maidstone Grammar School for Girls complies with the Co-ordinated Admission Scheme, which is administered by Kent Local Authority. Detailed information about the school is available in the prospectus.

Girls are normally admitted at age 11. All students must have gained a selective place through the Kent PESE (Procedure for Entry into Secondary Education). Details of the Kent PESE are available from the Kent County Council booklet ‘Admission to Secondary School in Kent’. There is no guarantee of a place to applicants who meet the over-subscription criteria.

The Published Admissions Number is 210.

Before the application of oversubscription criteria, children with a statement of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or Education, Health and Care Plan, which names the school, will be admitted. As a result of this the Published Admission Number will be reduced accordingly.

When the school is oversubscribed, the following oversubscription criteria will be used in the order shown:

  • Eligible girls who are looked after and previously looked after children:
    A looked after child’ or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, child arrangements, or special guardianship order. A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989).
  • Children previously in Care outside of England:
    Children who appear to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. A child is regarded as having been in state care in a place outside of England if they were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other provider of care whose sole purpose is to benefit society.
  • Students in receipt of Pupil Premium:
    A student is eligible for Pupil Premium where they have been registered for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last 6 years. This does not include students who have only been eligible to receive Universal Infant Free School Meals. Parents wishing to apply under this criterion must ensure that they complete the attached Supplementary Information Form and return it to the school by 31st October in the year of application. Parents must also complete an application (via online 3 or paper Secondary Common Application Form) naming the school, otherwise their child cannot be considered for a place.
  • Governor places:
    The top places for 30 students ranked in order of the TOTAL aggregate score in the Kent 11+ assessment tests.
  • Current family association:
    This is defined as a sister or brother attending either Maidstone Grammar School for Girls or Maidstone Grammar School when the child starts. In this context brother or sister means children who live as brother or sister in the same house, including natural brothers or sisters, adopted siblings, stepbrothers or sisters and foster brothers and sisters.
  • Distance from home to school:
    Determined by straight line using NLPG data, with those eligible girls living nearest being accorded highest priority. The school uses measurements provided by the local authority and further information on how distances are calculated is available in the ‘Admission to Secondary School in Kent’ booklet provided by the local authority.
  • If more than one applicant has equal eligibility for the last available place at the school, the names will be issued a number and drawn randomly to decide which child should be given the place. In the event that the final place offered from a ranked list falls to a pupil of a multiple birth, the school will offer a place of each of these girls who have met the over subscription criteria.

APPEAL GUIDANCE

If you have not been successful in gaining a place for your daughter at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, or more fondly known as ‘MGGS’, for September into Year 7, we understand your disappointment and now hope to assist you in the appeals procedure.

If your child is due to start secondary school in September 2024 you can appeal between 1st March – 28th March 2024 to guarantee that your appeal will be heard in our main round appeals to be considered by 17th June 2024.

For applications made in the normal admission round, appeals must be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals. For late applications, appeals should be heard within 40 schools days from the deadline for lodging appeals where possible, or within 30 school days of the appeals being lodged.

We recommend that you complete our appeal form as soon as possible, along with the majority of your documents. Our preferred method of communication is to complete the appeal form and then to send documents via email to admissions@mggs.org. If you then wish to send further documents nearer the appeal date, please send these directly to KCC Secondary Appeals Team at least 5 days prior to any appeal date.

KCC have advised that if you intend lodging an appeal, you should still send the acceptance form back to the school that you were offered. If your appeal is upheld and you are offered a place at MGGS for your daughter, you will then need to withdraw your acceptance from the initial school accepted. However, if your appeal if not upheld your daughter will still have a place at a school in September.

Read KCC’s guidance for parents for further information about appeals. Complete our appeal form and return it to the Admissions Manager, Ms Michelle Starns at MGGS or email it to admissions@mggs.org.

Appeal Hearing

The Independent Appeals Panel intends that your appeal will be conducted under a virtual setting using Microsoft Teams. All paperwork will be issued to you electronically and further instructions will be issued nearer the time by KCC.

If you can demonstrate an equality consideration that prevents you from accessing the hearing virtually, and you do not have reasonable support to do so, provide your reasons and any information/evidence that would support your case. There would need to be clear grounds to identify an alternative format for the appeal to be heard.

Examples of school work your child may have undertaken will not be accepted as the Panel will not be able to make a proper judgement about its quality. The members would have nothing to measure it against and would not know the depth of the work submitted. Also, they would not know whether the work had been carried out unaided.

Decision

KCC will write to tell you the panel’s decision as soon as possible after the hearing. KCC cannot tell you the decision by telephone.

Key Dates in 2023

Key Dates in 2024

For information about in-year admissions please see our In Year Admissions page.

Further Admissions Information

For further information or advice about admissions, please contact Ms Michelle Starns, Admissions Manager at MGGS on 01622 752 103 or email admissions@mggs.org. Alternatively you can call KCC Appeals on 0300 041 4222 or email appeals@kent.gov.uk for support.

We hope this information is helpful and if there is any further information you require, please do not hesitate to contact Michelle Starns.

I can’t believe it’s my daughter’s last day in Year 7 – it’s flown by. She’s had such a positive 1st year at MGGS and has already had so many wonderful opportunities. She’s grown up so much and I’m so proud of how she’s taken everything in her stride. She’s developed a love of new subjects and made some wonderful new friends. Your staff really are a credit to you and this came through in your fantastic Ofsted report too.

Parent

Related Pages

Open Events for Joining in Year 7
Main School Prospectus
Chromebook Scheme
In-Year Admissions

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