You should name the schools in the order you most want them. If you would like a grammar school place, you must name the grammar school(s) you want higher on your form than the non-selective schools; otherwise you may be given a high school place, regardless of whether your child passed the Kent Test. It is no longer the case that if you want a place at a particular high school you have to put it first on the application form. Schools do not know which order you have put them on the application form and therefore cannot use it to rank order students if they are over-subscribed. Please contact the school if you need clarification on this issue, because there is still a lot of misinformation being given out since the system changed. 

You must confirm acceptance of your place immediately and return the school’s admission form together with your child’s birth certificate, which will be returned to you. If you delay in accepting a place, it may be offered to another student. If we are over-subscribed, your son's/daughter’s name will be put on a waiting list.

Even though Dane Court may not have been your preferred choice on your application form, if you have been turned down but still want a place at the school, you need to write a letter of appeal to Dane Court, stating the reasons, name of primary school and the test scores. If there is space available and your child would be next on the waiting list, an automatic offer can be made without a hearing in front of a panel. However, if the school is oversubscribed, you will be given a hearing with an independent appeal panel who will make the decision to admit, if appropriate. Please let the other school know as soon as you have secured a place at Dane Court so the school you have declined can offer the place to someone on their waiting list.
If your child is due to start secondary school in September 2024 you can appeal between 1 March and 3 April 2024 to be considered on time and to guarantee the appeal is heard within the normal round of school appeals. For applications made in the normal admission round, appeals must be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals.  For late applications, appeals should be heard within 40 school days from the deadline for lodging appeals where possible, or within 30 schools days of the appeals being lodged.

If your child does not obtain the required scores to gain admission to Dane Court but you believe they are best suited to a grammar school education, please put Dane Court on the Common Application Form. This will mean that you can appeal for a place at the school in March after you have been informed of the high school that has been awarded to them. You need to do this before 3 April at the latest, otherwise you will miss having your appeal heard alongside other Year 6 appeals. The appeals panel does not make any decision about offering places until all appeals that were submitted by 3 April have been heard for Year 6 into Year 7. Each appeal hearing usually takes 20-30 minutes. The high number of appeals usually means that this can take around two weeks. These usually take place in late May or early June. 

Students who have taken the Kent Test in Year 6 cannot take another test for admission into Year 7. Dane Court cannot offer places based on KS2 SATs results. You can appeal to as many schools as you wish as long as you have applied and been turned down for a place at the school you wish to pursue. If you have not put Dane Court Grammar School on your Common Application Form, you will not be able to appeal for a place at the school until after 25 April when the Kent system has finished. This may lead to a delay in your appeal being heard, thus reducing your chances of gaining a place at the school. It is important that you find out the results of the Kent Test for your son/daughter from your primary school if you do not know them. The fact that the Kent Test is taken early should not disadvantage Year 6 students. The top 25% of children who take the test usually attain the pass mark. 

If your son/daughter has not taken the Kent Test, please contact Kent County Admissions for advice.

Yes. When places are allocated children are prioritised according to the school's oversubscription criteria, not where parents named them on their application form.

If you are moving into Kent, you need to contact Kent County Council about making an application to a secondary school.

Until January, Year 7 students who wish to come to Dane Court Grammar School must have taken the Kent Test. As from January in Year 7, students can take the school’s own admissions test according to the procedure set out below. Currently, the school does not have any places in Year 7.

Dane Court Grammar School is oversubscribed with a waiting list in most year groups and holds a waiting list. The waiting list ranks potential students according to its admissions criteria. This puts looked-after children first; secondly, students with a specific disability and for whom Dane Court is the most appropriate school; third, siblings; and fourth, students nearest to the school as the crow flies. It is not based on the length of time spent on the waiting list. Students are required to take two languages at KS3. Please take this into consideration if your son/daughter has only taken one language at his/her current school. We typically receive large numbers of requests from parents who have children who are unhappy at their current school. We would strongly advise working with the current school to resolve the problem because a change of school can seriously disrupt a child’s education.

To apply for Dane Court or any other secondary school, Please complete an In-Year Admissions Form

The Selection Test
If you would like your son/daughter to be considered for admission to Dane Court from Year 8 to Year 10, he/she needs to sit the school’s selection test. The test takes under two hours and will assess verbal, quantitative and non-verbal skills. We do not advise moving schools after September of Year 10 because of different examination board specifications, missed coursework and examinations which are a vital part of the GCSE assessment. Because of the nature of the curriculum and timetable at Dane Court, it is not possible to guarantee that a student will be able to follow exactly the same GCSE options at Dane Court as in their previous school.

Testing Dates and Procedures for Year 8 to Year 10.
Tests at Dane Court are arranged according to demand, and usually take place twice a term.

Please telephone or email the school office if you would like your son/daughter to take the test. If you email, please make sure that you have a reply, to confirm that your email has been received. We will need to know your child’s full name, date of birth, current school, a contact telephone number, home address and which languages have been studied in order to register for a test. We regard dealing with admissions as a high priority and it is important we have your name and contact details correct.

Results
We endeavour to give you the results of the test as soon as possible the following day. The school cannot offer a place to a student, without passing the test.

Appeals
If a place is not offered because of oversubscription or failure to pass the test, parents have the right to appeal. This should be done by submitting a letter to the school stating your case and any supporting information. You will then be invited to make your case to an independent appeals panel. An appeal hearing can take up to a term to be heard because an appeal panel has to be appointed and a venue booked. You will have the opportunity to present your case virtually at the hearing as well as on paper. A representative from the school will also attend the hearing, stating the reason why admission has been refused. The school does not have a role in making the final decision in an appeal because it is entirely at the discretion of the independent panel.

Changing schools midway through GCSE study is not advised because students will have missed some public examinations, coursework assignments and a large proportion of exam preparation. Year 11 is always over-subscribed, so even if a student successfully completed the tests in Year 11, a place could not be offered.

How to apply
To apply for a place at Dane Court, please complete the In-Year admissions form and email it to admin@danecourt.kent.sch.uk

Dane Court Grammar School is delighted to receive applications for the Sixth Form. Dane Court offers the International Baccalaureate Programme. Applicants will be admitted to Year 12 if there is a vacant place, having obtained the Sixth Form entry requirement of eight GCSE passes at grade 5 or above, including English, Mathematics and a Modern Language with at least six at grade 6 or above for entry to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. Five GCSEs at grade 5 or above with three at grade 6 or above for entry to the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme. The Sixth Form has been oversubscribed in previous years so an early application is encouraged for September entry. Please contact the school if you would like a prospectus. The Open Evening is usually held in November and includes a presentation about the Sixth Form, student life and future options. The evening will also provide an opportunity to visit departments and ask questions of subject staff and current IB students. Entry to the Sixth Form is dependent on places being available. Priority will be given to those already at the school.