At a Glance
Assessment: GL 11 Plus (Kent test)
Fees Type: Free
Boarding: Day school
Admissions: Girls Only
Places per year: 180
Introduction
The Folkstone School for girls is a single sex selective grammar school with academy staus in Folkstone, Kent. As discussed below academic achievement is very high indeed at the school however the School Principal Mark Lester aims beyond this remarking ‘…our job is not to prepare our girls for exams; it is to prepare them for life.’ Out-of-Classroom Learning Experiences are baked into the curriculum at The Folkestone School for Girls via their FSGBacc program which seeks to expose the girls to challenges in the fields of Performance, Skills, Service and the Wider World & World of Work. This allows the girls to learn, grow and develop into well rounded, confident and curious young adults. The most recent Ofsted report ranked the school as outstanding in all areas and the report is littered with comments such as ‘Students excel through personal development and academic study; all achieve very well.’ and ‘Well-structured lessons provoke students’ curiosity and develop their independence and creativity.’
Academic Achievement
Speaking strictly statistically, those attending the The Folkestone School for Girls exceed expected progress in their GCSE’s. The school has a Progress 8 score of 0.77 on a scale of -1 to 1, whereby a score of 1 would indicate that across 8 GCSE subjects the average student achieves 1 grade higher in each of their GCSE than would be expected from the national average attainment for students achieving similar Key stage 2 results. A score of 0.77 places the school in the highest ranked category ‘Well above average’ progress. This translates well to the grades received by students which far exceed national and local averages. Compared to 43% nationally and 46% locally an average 82% of students received grades 5 or above in English and Maths. Across a broader range of subjects girls also perform well. Attainment 8 measures how well students have performed in up to 8 of their GCSE’s from categories including English, Maths, three English Baccalaureate subjects (including Sciences, humanities and languages) and three other subjects. The Folkestone School for Girls can boast an Attainment 8 score of 64 versus the national 46.7
11 Plus hero is here to help
If you have made the decision to apply for Grammar school places in Kent and are eying The Folkestone School for Girls as your choice then 11 Plus Hero are here to help you prepare to make a strong application! We host all of the school information and contacts as well as familiarisation guides and practice paper materials that you will need to pass the selective entrance tests. The Folkestone School for Girls operates both the Kent Test and the Shepway Test which are produced by different exam boards in the GL 11 Plus and CEM organisations. We can help guide you through effective preparations for both!
The Folkestone School for Girls Key Information
11 Plus Hero is here to help you keep up to date with all of the important details and contact information for The Folkestone School for Girls.
School Address
Full Address:
The Folkestone School for GirlsCoolinge Lane
Folkestone
Kent
CT20 3RB
Contact Information
Parking in the school
Parking is limited on the school site but alternative arrangements can be found within a 10-20 minute walk away.
Additional parking off site
- Castle Road Car Park, Sandgate, Folkestone CT20 3AQ. Mon to Sun, 24h.
- Golden Valley Car Park, Enbrook Valley, Sandgate, Folkestone CT20 3NE. Mon to Sun, 24h.
Additional parking off site
- Castle Road Car Park, Sandgate, Folkestone CT20 3AQ. Mon to Sun, 24h.
- Golden Valley Car Park, Enbrook Valley, Sandgate, Folkestone CT20 3NE. Mon to Sun, 24h.
Key Information for The Folkestone School for Girls
PAN* for Year 7 intake (2023)
Total Student Capacity Years 7 to 13 (2022)
Total Students Years 7 to 13 (2022)
Percentage Capacity (2022)
Latest Ofsted Rating (2012)
Selection Test (Link - section 4)
The Folkestone School for Girls’ Key Dates and Application Information
There are many dates and deadlines to keep track of when applying to grammar school, especially when, as for The Folkestone School for Girls, there are two entrance tests. We at 11 Plus Hero have put together this timeline to help you navigate the process.
Applications for Secondary School intake 2023
Open evening
Registration for Kent test (compulsory) and Shepway Test (Optional)
Registration of special access requirements for children with SEND by the SENCO from their current school
Kent Test - Exam date for children attending school in Kent
Kent Test - Exam date for children attending school outside of Kent
The Shepway Test
Kent and Shepway Test Results Date
Common Application form (CAF) Deadline
Application Documents for The Folkestone School for Girls
Below are the key sources of information for the application process to grammar schools in Kent and specifically The Folkestone School for Girls.
The Folkestone School for Girls Exam Format
The Folkestone School for Girls operates the GL11 Plus exam board provided Kent Test as well as the CEM exam board provided Shepway Test as their selective entrance tests for admission. The Kent Test is compulsory and accepted by any grammar school in Kent whilst the Shepway test is specific to The Folkestone School for Girls and the nearby boys school The Harvey Grammar School. Passing either of the tests is sufficient to gain eligibility for admission and so effectively the Shepway Test is a second chance in unsuccessful in the Kent Test. Whether you decide to take both tests or just one, 11 Plus Hero is here to help you prepare for admission to The Folkestone School for Girls with familiarisation guides and practise paper materials!
The GL 11 Plus Kent Test: Overview
Given that he Kent Test is common to all Kentish Grammar Schools we have elected to provide detailed information in a single centralised article in order to give clear and in-depth information. On this page we describe the basic overview of the Kent Test, but a more detailed gide can be found here ‘Selective Tests in Kent – The Kent Test’
Paper One
A multiple choice English and Maths paper
Paper Two
A multiple choice Verbal Reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning paper
Addittional element
A creative writing exercise
The Kent Test - GL 11 Plus Assessment Criteria
| English | Maths | Verbal Reasoning | Non-Verbal Reasoning | Addittional |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Shepway Test: Produced by the CEM exam Board
The Folkestone School for Girls and The Harvey Grammar School are both located in the District of Folkestone and Hythe, which was formerly known as Shepway. As well as carrying out the Kent test, which is common and compulsory to Kentish Grammar schools, these two schools also optionally offer the Shepway test as a separate method of entry, regardless of whether the Kent test was failed.
The Shepway test is provided by the CEM exam board which is different from the Kent Test exam board GL 11 Plus. As such whilst the two generally assess childhood development in the same key areas there are differences to the format and content of questions which it would be wise to prepare for. 11 Plus Hero is here to make sure your daughter is well prepared and has no surprises on the day of the Shepway test itself! Two elements make up the Shepway test which we detail here:
Part One
A computerised test lasting one hour with questions assessing development towards Key stage 2 targets in English and Maths as well as Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning
Questions will be formatted such that they can be answered using either multiple choice, drag and drop or limited typing responses.
Please see the official CEM familiarisation guide https://plus.cem.org/cemselectfam/ as well as our practise paper materials
Part Two
A 30 minute creative writing exercise, written and marked by the school.
Quality of writing will be assessed in terms of grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, spelling, structure and style according to Key stage 2 standards.
The Shepway Test - CEM Assessment Criteria
| English | Maths | Verbal Reasoning | Non-Verbal Reasoning | Addittional |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pass Mark
The GL 11 Plus Kent Test: Pass Criteria
Selective entrance examinations for Grammar Schools are less about achieving a certain number of marks and slightly more about demonstrating that you are academically strong within your year group. Raw scores from each of the multiple choice papers will be combined and standardised versus all other test takers to produce a final aggregate score. From these a passing threshold score will be decided upon and students with scores above this will be granted Grammar school eligibility. It is estimated that the top ~25% of students nationally will be eligible for Grammar School. For further details please see ‘Selective Tests in Kent – The Kent Test’.
Pass Criteria: The Shepway Test
As for the Kent Test above there is no consistent number of marks that denotes a passing grade as results are combined and standardised to an aggregate with the estimate that girls belonging to the top 25% of students will reach the threshold. The Folkestone School for Girls describes the justification for this threshold as the minimum scoring which they expect girls need to achieve in order for them to achieve marks in year 11 that would qualify them for entry to the sixth form at The Folkestone School for Girls. Essentially they wish to select for girls who will respond well to the rigorous education inherent in a grammar school education.
Pass Mark
The GL 11 Plus Kent Test: Pass Criteria
Selective entrance examinations for Grammar Schools are less about achieving a certain number of marks and slightly more about demonstrating that you are academically strong within your year group. Raw scores from each of the multiple choice papers will be combined and standardised versus all other test takers to produce a final aggregate score. From these a passing threshold score will be decided upon and students with scores above this will be granted Grammar school eligibility. It is estimated that the top ~25% of students nationally will be eligible for Grammar School. For further details please see ‘Selective Tests in Kent – The Kent Test’.
Pass Criteria: The Shepway Test
As for the Kent Test above there is no consistent number of marks that denotes a passing grade as results are combined and standardised to an aggregate with the estimate that girls belonging to the top 25% of students will reach the threshold. The Folkestone School for Girls describes the justification for this threshold as the minimum scoring which they expect girls need to achieve in order for them to achieve marks in year 11 that would qualify them for entry to the sixth form at The Folkestone School for Girls. Essentially they wish to select for girls who will respond well to the rigorous education inherent in a grammar school education.
Catchment Area
The Folkestone School for Girls operates a priority catchment area for any girls who has passed either the Kent Test or Shepway Test and who occupies permanent residence in the District of Folkestone and Hythe (formerly known as Shepway). Within these bounds priority is given to girls whos address is the closest to The Folkestone School for Girls according to the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) address point data.
Additional Eligibility
It is a requirement that all applicants have passed with the Kent Test or Shepway test regardless of any other consideration. Passing applicants with approved reasons that admission to The Folkestone School for Girls would be especially beneficial to a health or social requimnet may however be granted priority status of application.
- Girls with a statement of special educational need/education (SSEN) or an education health care plan (EHCP) will be automatically admitted.
- Applicant who are either currently in care or have previously been in the caste of the local authority will be admitted having passed testing.
- Those girls who are in receipt of pupil premium and whom occupy permanent residence in the District of Folkestone and Hythe (formerly known as Shepway). Application under this clause need to be supported by filling out the ‘Supplementary Form for Pupil Premium Information’ which can be found at the end of Section 3
The Folkestone School for Girls FAQs
- The passing threshold of both the Kent Test and Shepway tests are determined on a yearly basis based on a comparison of the test results from all who took the tests. It is estimated that the top 25% of students nationally would be eligible for Grammar school education.
- For more details see section ‘Pass Mark and catchment area’. LINK
- The Folkestone School for Girls operates two different and separate entrance examinations
- The Kent Test is common to all Kentish Grammar schools and consists of two multiple choice paper exams and a creative writing exercise.
- The Shepway Test, specific to the The Folkestone School for Girls and The Harvey Grammar School, is a computerised assessment and a creative writing exercise.
- For more details see ‘Section 4: The Harvey Grammar School Exam Format’ LINK
The Kent Test is taken for entry to any Kentish Grammar and allows a level playing field for entry, simplifying admissions across Kent. The Shepway Test provides another format for entry which may favour some students otherwise disadvantaged in the Kent Test. When considering whether to take the optional Shepway Test it is important to consider whether undertaking additional preparations for a second test would cause undue to stress to your child. We at 11 Plus Hero aim to provide all the resources you will need to make preparations as easy as possible.
- Kent County Council hosts familiarisation material to allow children to get used to the format of their exams: https://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places/kent-test#tab-3
- CEM provides familiarisation materials to help your daughter prepare for the Shepway Test https://plus.cem.org/cemselectfam/
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