Best Schools in Folkestone

How many schools are there in Folkestone?

Folkestone has 29 open schools: 19 state primary, 4 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent, 3 special and 2 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Folkestone are rated Outstanding?

5 schools in Folkestone were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Hawkinge Primary School; St Eanswythe's Church of England Primary School; The Beacon Folkestone; The Harvey Grammar School; and Folkestone, St Martin's Church of England Primary School. Counting Good as well, 100% of the 26 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Hawkinge Primary SchoolSt Eanswythe's Church of England Primary SchoolThe Beacon FolkestoneThe Harvey Grammar SchoolFolkestone, St Martin's Church of England Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Folkestone get the best GCSE results?

Of the 4 schools in Folkestone with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at The Harvey Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 65.2 and 90% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; The Folkestone School for Girls (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 62.3 and 81% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Turner Free School, with an Attainment 8 score of 39.4 and 30% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Selective schools admit by ability, so their raw results are not a like-for-like comparison with comprehensives. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

The Harvey Grammar SchoolThe Folkestone School for GirlsTurner Free School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Folkestone have the best SATs results?

Of the 19 primary schools in Folkestone with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Cheriton Primary School (90% in reading, 83% in maths); Folkestone, St Peter's Church of England Primary School (80% in reading, 90% in maths); and Sandgate Primary School (80% in reading, 90% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Cheriton Primary SchoolFolkestone, St Peter's Church of England Primary SchoolSandgate Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Folkestone?

Yes. The Folkestone School for Girls and The Harvey Grammar School are state grammar schools in Folkestone. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

The Folkestone School for GirlsThe Harvey Grammar School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Folkestone have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Folkestone have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Kent allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Folkestone?

Apply to Kent through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.