Schools in Dover
Dover and its surrounding villages in Kent have 33 schools - 22 primaries and six secondaries. Eleven schools carry a faith designation and 13 operate as academies. Kent is one of the last counties to retain a selective grammar school system, and Dover's six secondaries include both grammar schools for those who pass the 11-plus and non-selective academies.
Kent County Council co-ordinates admissions for the area, with the 11-plus test administered each September for Year 7 entry. Families in border villages such as Eythorne, Lydden, and River should confirm whether their address qualifies for Dover's secondaries or falls within the Canterbury or Folkestone preference zones. Kent publishes secondary allocation outcomes and last-distance figures annually.
School demand in Dover
Across the 31 schools in Dover with published capacity data, the average fill rate is 85%. 3 of them are currently at or above their published admission number, and at those schools catchment distance is likely to decide places at the next intake.
11 schools in Dover have a religious character, so faith criteria sit alongside catchment distance in their admissions policies.
13 of the schools in Dover are academies that set their own admissions criteria independently of Kent, so check each school's policy directly rather than assuming the council default applies.
9 of the schools in Dover have a current Ofsted rating, of which 7 are rated Good or Outstanding. Demand and catchment distance tend to be tightest at the highest-rated schools.
Primary schools in Dover: 2 oversubscribed (22)
River Primary School
Primary · Community school
Dover · CT17 0PP
Langdon Primary School
Primary · Community school
Dover · CT15 5JQ
Eythorne Elvington Community Primary School
Primary · Community school
Dover · CT15 4AN
Lydden Primary School
Primary · Community school
Dover · CT15 7LA
Aycliffe Community Primary School
Primary · Community school
Dover · CT17 9HJ
Whitfield Aspen School
Primary · Community school
Dover · CT16 3LJ
St Margaret's-at-Cliffe Primary School
Primary · Community school
Dover · CT15 6SS
Selsted Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Dover · CT15 7HH
Guston Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Dover · CT15 5LR
Nonington Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Dover · CT15 4LB
Shepherdswell Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
DOVER · CT15 7LH
Dover, St Mary's Church of England Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Dover · CT16 1QX
Green Park Community Primary School
Primary · Community school
Dover · CT16 2BN
White Cliffs Primary and Nursery School
Primary · Academy converter
Dover · CT17 0LB
Barton Junior School
Primary · Academy converter
Dover · CT16 2ND
Shatterlocks Infant and Nursery School
Primary · Academy converter
Dover · CT16 2PB
Temple Ewell Church of England Primary School
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Dover · CT16 3DT
St Richard's Catholic Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Dover · CT16 1EZ
Charlton Church of England Primary School
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Dover · CT16 2LX
Priory Fields School
Primary · Academy converter
Dover · CT17 0FS
St Martin's School
Primary · Academy converter
Dover · CT17 9LY
Vale View Community School
Primary · Academy converter
Dover · CT17 9NP
Secondary Schools in Dover (6)
Dover Grammar School for Girls
Secondary · Community school
Dover · CT16 2PZ
Dover Grammar School for Boys
Secondary · Foundation school
Dover · CT17 0DQ
Duke of York's Royal Military School
Secondary · Academy sponsor led
Dover · CT15 5EQ
Astor Secondary School
Secondary · Academy converter
Dover · CT17 0AS
St Edmund's Catholic School
Secondary · Academy sponsor led
Dover · CT16 2QB
Dover Christ Church Academy
Secondary · Academy sponsor led
Dover · CT16 2EG
Other Schools in Dover (5)
Dover College
Not applicable · Other independent school
Dover · CT17 9RH
Elms School
Not applicable · Foundation special school
Dover · CT17 9PS
Portal House School
Not applicable · Community special school
Dover · CT15 6SS
Beech Grove School
Not applicable · Other independent school
Dover · CT15 4FB
Woodpecker Court
Not applicable · Special post 16 institution
Dover · CT15 4BF
Catchment area boundaries for schools in Dover are set by Kent and updated each year. The "last distance offered", how far the furthest successful applicant lived, changes annually based on the number of applications received.