The Folkestone School for Girls

If you want a grammar school that takes your daughter's results seriously but refuses to let them define her, The Folkestone School for Girls is worth a close look. It is a selective school on the Kent coast, taking girls from 11 to 18, and its character is set by a belief it states plainly on its own pages: "exam results are what you get. They do not define who you are." The school deliberately keeps room in the timetable for activities, friends and family, and time, as it puts it, to just be a teenager. The Good Schools Guide noticed the difference, writing that the girls "turn out the results but somehow don't have that glassy eyed look of industry we've seen in some schools."

The school backs that ethos with plenty to get stuck into. From Year 7 girls take on the FSGBacc, which spans mountain biking, climbing, archery, cheerleading and the school's own escape room. There is a combined cadet force, Duke of Edinburgh, Model United Nations and a Great Britain robotics team. Year 8 pupils become language ambassadors, teaching French or Spanish to local primary children, and the school keeps strong international links abroad. The Good Schools Guide describes a happy atmosphere with "no stiff hierarchy here," and one French lesson where "the energy almost visibly burst through the door."

It suits a bright girl who will do well academically but is happiest with a bit of room to breathe and plenty to do beyond the classroom. Led since 2018 by principal Mark Lester, it is the kind of grammar that wants your daughter to come home a rounded person, not just a set of marks.