At a Glance
Assessment: GL 11 Plus (Kent test), Individual
Fees Type: Free
Boarding: Day school
Admissions: Boys Only
Places per year: 150
Introduction
The Harvey Grammar School is a selective secondary school with academy status in Folkestone, Kent for boys ages 11-18. The School holds specialisms in Sport, Mathematics and Computing which attracts additional funding to expand these programmes. Most recent Ofsted inspection credited the school as outstanding in each of the five categories and praised the leadership of the school for this rise from the previous Good ranking, ‘Leaders and teachers have imparted to pupils a very strong work ethic, high aspirations and a desire to excel.’ They go on to say ‘The highly effective curriculum ensures excellent opportunities for pupils’ personal and academic development.’ Beyond the classroom there is ample opportunity for the boys to expand their hobbies and interests with extracurriculars ranging from debating, chess club, science club, music and a whole range of sporting activities.
Boys attending The Harvey Grammar School achieve strong GCSE results across a range of subjects. Attainment 8 is a measure used to describe how well students have performed in up to 8 of their GCSE qualifications. These 8 are divided into ‘bins’ of English, Maths, three English Baccalaureate subjects (including Sciences, Humanities and Languages), alongside three other subjects. The Harvey Grammar School has an Attainment 8 score of 62.4 versus the national average of 46.7. Dividing down into specifics of core GCSE subjects we find that 73% of boys achieved grades 5 or above in English and Maths versus the national average of 43%.
If grammar school is on the horizon for your son we at ll Plus Hero are here to help him achieve his potential. We have curated a site which will provide you both with all of the specific information for The Harvey Grammar School both in terms of the institution itself and the all important entrance examinations that need to be undertaken to gain admission eligibility. The Harvey Grammar School carries out both the Kent Test and the optional Shepway test with a passing grade in either being sufficient for entry. With two tests to potentially sit it can be even harder to make effective preparations, but we can provide you with all of the familiarisation materials and practise papers that you will need.
The Harvey Grammar School Key Information
To help you make an application to grammar school 11 Plus Hero regularly updates with key information and contact details for The Harvey Grammar School.
School Address
Full Address:
The Harvey Grammar SchoolCheriton Road
Folkestone
Kent
CT19 5JY
Contact Information
Parking in the school
Parking is not available at the school but there are a number of car parks within a 10 minutes walk.
Additional parking off site
- Stripes Car Park, Cheriton Road, Folkestone and Hythe, CT19 5JU. Mon-Sun, 24h.
- Folkestone West Station – Car Park A, Shorncliffe Road, Folkestone, CT20 3PA. Mon-Sun, 24h.
Additional parking off site
- Stripes Car Park, Cheriton Road, Folkestone and Hythe, CT19 5JU. Mon-Sun, 24h.
- Folkestone West Station – Car Park A, Shorncliffe Road, Folkestone, CT20 3PA. Mon-Sun, 24h.
Key Information for The Harvey Grammar School
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 (2016)
Selection Test
The Harvey Grammar School’s Key Dates and Application Information
To help you keep on top of all the important dates and deadlines for application to The Harvey Grammar School we at 11 Plus Hero have compiled them here.
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 Harvey Grammar School
We at 11 Plus use only direct sources from schools themselves or the local government to ensure our information is accurate and up to date. We provide some of our main sources here.
The Harvey Grammar School Admissions Policy 2022-23 Including Supplementary form forPupil Premium Information
View PDFInformation for the Kent test
View PDFInformation for the Shepway Test (also found in the Admissions Policy above)
View PDFKent council school application dates
View PDFHow to apply
View PDFThe Harvey Grammar School Exam Format
The Harvey Grammar School has separate selective entrance assessments and a passing grade in either one will make boys eligible for a place, even if they failed the other. All applicants to grammar schools in Kent must sit the Kent Test, set by the GL 11 Plus exam board, and a passing grade will grant eligibility of admission to any grammar school in Kent. Optionally Boys can elect to take the Shepway Test, set by the CEM exam board, which is only undertaken by The Harvey Grammar School and The Folkestone School for Girls. Taking both tests effectively provides a second chance at admission and may be especially useful if your son finds either the format or content of the Kent Test more challenging than The Shepway Test. 11 Plus Hero has familiarisation materials and practise papers for both to help you decide!
The GL 11 Plus Kent Test: Overview
As the Kent Test is shared by all Kentish Grammar Schools, the best way to provide consistent, thorough advice is in a single centralised and in-depth guide. We here provide and overview but a more detailed breakdown can be found here ‘Selective Tests in Kent – The Kent Test’. In short however the Kent Test is composed of two paper-based multiple choice exam papers with questions in four areas testing your son’s development to Key Stage 2 targets. There is also a creative writing exercise set by the school.
Paper One
A multiple choice English and Maths paper written by GL 11 Plus and lasting 1 hour.
Paper Two
A multiple choice Verbal Reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning paper written by GL 11 Plus and lasting 1 hour.
Additional
A creative writing exercise written by the school and lasting 40 minutes.
The Kent Test - GL 11 Plus Assessment Criteria
| English | Maths | Verbal Reasoning | Non-Verbal Reasoning | Additional |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Shepway Test: Produced by the CEM exam Board
The Harvey Grammar School and The Folkestone School for Girls and are both located in the District of Folkestone and Hythe, which was formerly known as Shepway. They both carry out the Shepway Test as an optional extra route of entry to their school, in addition to the compulsory Kent Test.
The Shepway Test and Kent Test are written by different institutions, the CEM and GL 11 Plus exam boards respectively. There are differences to the style and content of the question which it is necessary to prepare for. We at 11 Plus Hero have practice materials to help you do just that! There are two elements to the Shepway Test which we will explain 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 | School Own |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pass Mark
The GL 11 Plus Kent Test: Pass Criteria
Raw scores from the two papers are added together, statistically standardised including making an adjustment for the age of participants and then combined to make a final aggregate score. From this a threshold pass mark is set on a year-by-year basis depending on how well the year group performed. It is not possible to quote the threshold beforehand but it is estimated that he top 25% of students nationally will reach this threshold. For more details and thresholds from previous years please see ‘Selective Tests in Kent – The Kent Test’.
Pass Criteria: The Shepway Test
The passing threshold for the Shepway test is described by the school as the minimum mark that would reasonably predict that boys could achieve marks at the end of year 11 that are sufficient for them to enter the schools sixth form. This threshold is decided upon every year by aggregating the scores from each element of the Shepway Test and standardising them relative to all other applicants. Boys able to achieve the passing threshold are likely to be able to benefit from the academic rigour of a grammar school education.
Pass Mark
The GL 11 Plus Kent Test: Pass Criteria
Raw scores from the two papers are added together, statistically standardised including making an adjustment for the age of participants and then combined to make a final aggregate score. From this a threshold pass mark is set on a year-by-year basis depending on how well the year group performed. It is not possible to quote the threshold beforehand but it is estimated that he top 25% of students nationally will reach this threshold. For more details and thresholds from previous years please see ‘Selective Tests in Kent – The Kent Test’.
Pass Criteria: The Shepway Test
The passing threshold for the Shepway test is described by the school as the minimum mark that would reasonably predict that boys could achieve marks at the end of year 11 that are sufficient for them to enter the schools sixth form. This threshold is decided upon every year by aggregating the scores from each element of the Shepway Test and standardising them relative to all other applicants. Boys able to achieve the passing threshold are likely to be able to benefit from the academic rigour of a grammar school education.
Catchment Area
The Harvey Grammar School does not operate a true catchment area. Those boys who have passed the Kent Test or the Shepway Test are eligible for admission and places will be assigned with priority given to whichever applicant occupies permanent residence in the closest proximity to The Harvey Grammar School according to the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) address point data.
Additional Eligibility
It is a prerequisite that all boys have passed either the Kent Test or Shepway Test to be eligible for admission to The Harvey Grammar School. Certain boys may however be granted priority admission eligibility if it can be demonstrated that attendance of The Harvey Grammar School would fullfil a medical or social need of a particular child.
- Boys with statement of special educational need or an education health care plan (EHCP) which specifically mentions The Harvey Grammar School will be admitted.
- Boys who are in the care of the local authority or have previously been in the care of the local authority.
- Boys in receipt of Pupil Premium who also occupy permanent residence in the District of Folkestone and Hythe (formerly known as Shepway). Boys are eligible for Pupil Premium if they have received free school meals at any time in the last 6 years. Applications under this clause must be supported by the Supplementary form for Pupil Premium Information located in the Application Documents section.
The Harvey Grammar School FAQs
- The passing threshold for both the Kent Test and Shepway Test are determined on a years basis by statistical analysis of the scores across the year group. As such it is not possible to quote them beforehand. For more details see the Pass Mark section.
- The Harvey Grammar School operates both the GL 11 Plus exam board provided Kent Test and the CEM exam board provided Shepway test. Where the Kent Test is a series of paper based multiple choice exams, the Shepway Test is a computerised interactive exam. Both tests also feature a separate creative writing element. For more details see the Exam Format section.
The second test effectively allows for a second chance to gain admission as passing either test will grant eligibility of admission, even if the other is failed. Questions are asked in a different format and the content is slightly different so one or the other test may favour your son. From the schools perspective carrying out the Shepway Test they had a hand in commissioning allows them to test more specifically for what they want than the Kent Test which is shared by all Kentish Grammars.
- 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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