Dartford, Kent · Kent
Wilmington Grammar School for Girls
GCSE results are well above national averages, but the same cohort's A-level outcomes were officially rated 'below average' by DfE's own value-added measure — a real, statistically significant contrast worth knowing before choosing a sixth form.
Wilmington Girls admits by the standard Kent Test pass, then a narrow 'Governor Places' category (up to 18 places, for exceptional Maths-paper performance within 5 miles) sits alongside — but doesn't replace — the ordinary priority-then-distance system, so the school isn't superselective in the way some Kent grammars are. The most important thing for families to know: while GCSE results are consistently strong and well above local and national averages, the same leaving cohort's A-level outcomes were rated 'below average' on DfE's own statistically significant value-added measure for three consecutive years — a genuine and surprising gap between the two stages worth checking before assuming continuity.
Key facts
- Gender
- girls
- Age range
- 11-18
- Region
- South East
- Local authority
- Kent
- Established
- 1958
- DfE URN
- 137250
- Website
- https://wgsg.co.uk
Admissions
- Admissions authority
- The school sets its own test and criteria
- Entrance test board
- The Kent Test, commissioned county-wide by Kent County Council. GL Assessment is widely reported as the paper-setter but wasn't named on any KCC page found during this research.partly verified
GL Assessment is widely reported but wasn't named on any KCC page found during this research.
- Test format
- The standard county-wide format: an English & Maths paper and a Reasoning paper (verbal and non-verbal), both multiple-choice/computer-marked, plus an unmarked writing task for borderline decisions.
- Qualifying / pass mark
- Confirmed directly from Kent County Council's own page (2025 cycle, governing September 2026 entry): an aggregate of 332 or more, with no single component below 108. The school sets no additional threshold of its own for standard entry.
- Superselective?
- No
The school's own determined admissions policy allocates places to girls assessed suitable for grammar school through the standard Kent procedure, then resolves oversubscription through priority category and distance — no higher aggregate score or banding requirement exists for the main intake. The one selective sub-category, 'Governor Places' (up to 10% of places, for exceptional performance in the Kent Test Maths paper within 5 miles), is a narrow supplementary category layered on top of standard entry, not a banding of the whole cohort.
Catchment & priority criteria
A defined priority area exists: a 1.5-mile inner radius plus a long list of named parishes and wards across Dartford, Sevenoaks and Swanley districts, with Pupil Premium children prioritised within it; a further 3-mile radius applies to other Pupil Premium children; and a separate 5-mile radius applies specifically to the Governor Places category.
- Children with an EHCP naming the school
- Looked-after and previously looked-after children
- Siblings at this school or at Wilmington Grammar School for Boys
- Children of staff (2+ years' service, or filling a skill-shortage post)
- Governor Places — exceptional Maths-paper performance within 5 miles (up to 18 places)
- Girls within 1.5 miles or within the named priority-area parishes/wards, with Pupil Premium children prioritised within this group
- Other Pupil Premium children within a 3-mile radius
- All other eligible girls, ranked by straight-line distance
Results
| Year | Attainment 8 | GCSE 5+ Eng & Maths | Progress 8 | A*–A | A*–B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 70.2 (the strongest of the last three years) | 96.6% (grade 4+ 100.0%) | +0.76 ('Well above average', confidence interval +0.53 to +0.99) — this cohort predates the COVID-era gap | — | — |
| A-level (129 students): average grade C+ (33.64 points), roughly in line with the Kent average (34.22) and only slightly below England's (34.38). | |||||
| 2025 | 66.7 (England average 46.1, Kent LA average 46.7) | 89.2% (grade 4+ 97.7%) | Not calculated — no KS2 baseline data for this cohort nationally | verify with school | verify with school |
| A-level (130 students): average grade C+ (33.31 points, vs Kent 34.87 and England 36.10). DfE's A-level progress (value-added) score was -0.39, banded 'below average' with a confidence interval (-0.5 to -0.28) entirely below zero — a statistically significant result, not noise, and a real contrast against this same cohort's strong GCSE outcomes. | |||||
Ofsted
- Rating
- Good overall, under the pre-September-2024 framework. Sub-judgements: quality of education Good, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Outstanding, leadership and management Good, sixth-form provision Good.
- Date
- 16 November 2022
- Report
- Read the full report
Sources
- 1. DfE Get Information About Schools — URN, status, gender, LA — https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/137250
- 2. School's own Admission Policy for Entry September 2026 — https://www.kent.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/173242/Wilmington-Grammar-School-for-Girls-admissions-consultation-criteria-2026-2027.pdf
- 3. Kent County Council — Kent Test qualifying threshold — https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places/kent-test/kent-test-results
- 4. Ofsted report, inspected 16 November 2022 — https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50206634
- 5. WG6 Joint Sixth Form Admission Policy — https://wg6.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/WG6-Sixth-Form-Admission-Policy.pdf
- 6. DfE Compare School Performance — Progress 8, 2023 and 2024 — https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/137250/wilmington-grammar-school-for-girls/secondary/progress-measures-for-2023-and-2024
- 7. DfE Compare School Performance — A-level results over time — https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/137250/wilmington-grammar-school-for-girls/16-to-18/advanced-level-qualifications-results-over-time
Last updated 2026-08-31. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.