The Folkestone School for Girls
Coolinge Lane, Folkestone, CT20 3RB
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Girls
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE FOLKESTONE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Mark Lester
- Admissions policy
- Selective
- Constituency
- Folkestone and Hythe
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,053
- Pupils on roll
- 1,145
- URN
- 137837
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01303251125
About this school
The Folkestone School for Girls is a girls' secondary academy in Folkestone. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,145 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Folkestone School for Girls, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 182 | 174 | 165 |
| Attainment 8 score | 64.0 | 61.8 | 57.9 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.34 +0.13 to +0.55 | +0.29 +0.08 to +0.50 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 74% | 81% | 67.3% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 97% | 95.4% | 88.5% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 55% | 56.3% | 43.6% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 5.8 | 5.6 | 5.1 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The Folkestone School for Girls has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Kent average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 64 | 37.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 61.8 | 37.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 57.9 | 37.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,217 |
| 2023/24 | 1,170 |
| 2024/25 | 1,159 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Folkestone School for Girls compares
The Folkestone School for Girls ranked 32nd of 100 secondary schools in Kent for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 91% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 57.9 | 7.1% | 15.7% | 1,145 | — |
| The Harvey Grammar School | 61.8 | 4.9% | 13.8% | 1,005 | 0.7 miles |
| Turner Free School | 37.6 | 7.9% | 44.7% | 997 | 1.0 miles |
| Folkestone Academy | 33.7 | 9.7% | 52% | 936 | 1.3 miles |
| Brockhill Park Performing Arts College | 37.4 | 9.6% | 33.6% | 1,314 | 3.7 miles |
| Astor Secondary School | 27.9 | 13.3% | 62% | 732 | 6.9 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 15.72%
- English as an additional language
- 11.2%
- Overall absence
- 7.06%
- Persistent absence
- 19.69%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Harvey Grammar School0.7 miles
Secondary · Folkestone
-
Turner Free School1.0 miles
Secondary · Folkestone
-
Folkestone Academy1.3 miles
Secondary · Folkestone
-
Brockhill Park Performing Arts College3.7 miles
Secondary · Hythe
-
Astor Secondary School6.9 miles
Secondary · Dover
Other schools in Folkestone
- Folkestone Academy Secondary
- The Harvey Grammar School Secondary
- Turner Free School Secondary
- All Soul's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Capel-le-Ferne Primary School Primary
- Castle Hill Community Primary School Primary
- Cheriton Primary School Primary
- Christ Church Cep Academy, Folkestone Primary
- Folkestone Primary Primary
- Folkestone St. Mary's Church of England Primary Academy Primary
- Folkestone, St Martin's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Folkestone, St Peter's Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does The Folkestone School for Girls teach?
- The Folkestone School for Girls teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Folkestone.
- Who is the headteacher of The Folkestone School for Girls?
- The headteacher of The Folkestone School for Girls is Mr Mark Lester, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Folkestone School for Girls been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Folkestone School for Girls, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at The Folkestone School for Girls?
- The Folkestone School for Girls has 1,145 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is The Folkestone School for Girls full?
- The Folkestone School for Girls has capacity for 1,053 pupils and 1,145 on roll (109%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The Folkestone School for Girls a faith school?
- No. The Folkestone School for Girls has no designated religious character.
- Is The Folkestone School for Girls a selective school?
- Yes. The Folkestone School for Girls is recorded as Selective in the schools register, so entry involves selection.
- Is The Folkestone School for Girls part of an academy trust?
- The Folkestone School for Girls is part of THE FOLKESTONE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Folkestone School for Girls's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 64 in 2022/23 and 57.9 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Folkestone School for Girls compare with other schools in Kent?
- The Folkestone School for Girls ranked 32nd of 100 secondary schools in Kent for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 91% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Folkestone School for Girls's absence rate?
- The Folkestone School for Girls's overall absence rate is 7.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Folkestone School for Girls's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Folkestone School for Girls's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.