The Folkestone School for Girls, Folkestone

In its own words: "Exam results are what you get. They do not define who you are and will play only a part in shaping the person you become. That message is writ large across everything we do at FSG. It’s at the very heart of our vision for an outstanding quality of education and its at the very heart of our school curriculum."

From the headteacher's welcome: "Year 7 will come to school for an 8.40am start reporting to the Main School Hall. Staff will be on hand at the main school gate to direct them. Year 12 please aim to arrive around 11.15am for an 11.25am/P3 start and report to the Main School Hall."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include dance, drama, orchestra, STEM, debating, Duke of Edinburgh, cadets and cheerleading.

Coming up: an open evening on Tuesday 26 January 2027 at 6pm and an open day on Friday 5 February 2027 at 9.15am. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at The Folkestone School for Girls averaged an Attainment 8 score of 62.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 48.1 in Kent and 47 across England.

81% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 49% in Kent and 47% in England.

That is up from 57.9 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.29: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 58.9, against 63 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 4.1 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, History and Geography.

The Folkestone School for Girls is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.

For September 2026 entry, 233 families put The Folkestone School for Girls as their first choice and 389 named it as one of their preferences, for 180 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 53 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The Folkestone School for Girls admits pupils through an entrance test - in Kent, the Kent Test. Children have to be registered for it in advance, normally in the spring or summer of Year 5; the test itself is usually sat in September of Year 6, and results come out in October, before the 31 October deadline for naming secondary schools.

Passing the test makes a child eligible rather than guaranteeing a place: when more children pass than there are places, The Folkestone School for Girls ranks them by the criteria in its admissions policy, which can include test score and distance. Check Kent's admissions pages and the school's own policy for this year's registration deadline - a child who is not registered in time cannot sit the test.

Kent has 32 state grammar schools in all, so a child who passes may have several selective schools to choose between.

The nearest other state secondary schools to The Folkestone School for Girls are The Harvey Grammar School (0.7 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 65.2); Turner Free School (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 39.4); Folkestone Academy (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 38); and Brockhill Park Performing Arts College (3.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 36.1).

The Folkestone School for Girls's 2026 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

Of the 174 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 97% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 23% to a further education college and 1% into work.

Of the 144 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 56% went on to university or other higher education, 4% to apprenticeships and 24% into work. 19% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

13.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 10.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (75%), Mixed (8%) and Asian (7%).

In 2026, 83 pupils (7.2%) received SEN support and 2 (0.2%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest railway station is Folkestone West Rail Station, about 890 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).

6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Folkestone School for Girls (outside), 70 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 192 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Kent (101), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, The Folkestone School for Girls issued 12 suspensions, 1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Folkestone School for Girls are Sandgate Primary School (0.2 miles); Morehall Primary School and Nursery (0.8 miles); All Soul's Church of England Primary School (0.9 miles); and Christ Church Cep Academy, Folkestone (1.1 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.