School Chooser

Dover College

Independent · ages 2-18MixedIndependentChurch of England242 pupilsSixth formNurseryDoverKent
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Strong pass in English and maths0%England 46%
Places236 spare242 pupils, 478 places
Average A level gradeC-2024/25
Pupils on roll242Census January 2024

Dover College is an independent school in Dover for boys and girls aged 2 to 18. It has 242 pupils and room for 478.

Effingham Crescent, Dover, CT17 9RH01304 205969dovercollege.org.ukMr Phil Tattersall-King headteacherAll details

Inspection

This private school is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, not Ofsted. Its reports are at isi.net.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

51 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE score25.5
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths0%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths0%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 28.228.220182019: 29.829.820192022: 25.725.720222023: 14.114.120232024: 18.618.620242025: 25.525.52025
Since 2018: -2.7
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018KentEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11514993404134
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 825.518.614.125.729.828.247.846.8
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%22%9%48%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%32%21%67%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score2.241.511.111.832.662.434.284.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%0%12%48%41%

Subjects

Results came out for 15 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.

Strongest subjects

Art and Design91%grades 9 to 5, England 58%
English Literature73%grades 9 to 5, England 58%

Subjects that did worse than the England average: English Language (38% here, 54% across England), Business (39% here, 51% across England).

What is taught hereOffers triple science, computer science.

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
38%England 54%
73%England 58%
Business26 entries
39%England 51%
36%England 36%
Art and Design21 entries
91%England 58%
61%England 55%
Geography12 entries
75%England 51%
Spanish11 entries
82%England 54%
100%England 49%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
English Language329%38%81%54%
English Literature268%73%89%58%
Business268%39%54%51%
Combined Science250%36%60%36%
Art and Design210%91%95%58%
Media / Film / TV1817%61%89%55%
Geography1217%75%83%51%
Spanish1136%82%91%54%
Other Modern Languages10100%100%100%49%
Physics911%89%100%82%
Biology911%100%100%82%
Chemistry911%100%100%81%
Computer Science80%50%50%56%
History80%13%13%52%
Drama70%29%86%60%

In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.

A level and sixth-form results, 2025

39 students finished sixth-form courses.

Average A level gradeC-27.3 points per entry
A level progress+0.11Against students elsewhere with the same GCSE grades. 0 is average.
AAB or better23%with two subjects universities favour
All sixth-form measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018
Students393226356865
Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry27.2927.3631.5730.6025.6424.85
Average A level gradeC-C-CCC-D+
Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS31.0326.0031.5630.8324.3821.57
AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects23%20%7%13%0%0%
A level progressA level value added+0.11-0.63-0.27-0.48
Applied general courses: points per entry27.8228.5133.5031.01

A level subjects

7 A level subjects had results in 2025. Each figure is the share of students who got an A* to B, next to the average for state sixth forms in England. When only a handful of students take a subject, its figures jump around from year to year.

A levels taught hereThe small number is how many students sat each one in 2025.
SubjectsMathematics10Psychology8English Literature7Economics6Computer Science6Physics5Geography5
Every A level subject against England, 2025
Mathematics10 entries · 40% A* or A · 100% passed
60%England 60%
Psychology8 entries · 0% A* or A · 88% passed
0%England 46%
English Literature7 entries · 0% A* or A · 100% passed
29%England 52%
Economics6 entries · 0% A* or A · 100% passed
17%England 57%
Computer Science6 entries · 0% A* or A · 100% passed
17%England 46%
Physics5 entries · 0% A* or A · 0% passed
0%England 51%
Geography5 entries · 0% A* or A · 0% passed
0%England 51%

A levels only. BTECs, T levels and other courses are in the table above. Subjects with fewer than five students aren't published.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At GCSE, 2025

Average GCSE scoreBoys vs girls
26.024.5
Gap 1.5England 3.0
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Open to all. There is no entrance test. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Kent council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll242Census January 2024
Places47851% full
Pupils from low-income familiesGet free school meals
Pupils getting extra support41%99 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%3 pupils with a plan
Boys and girls129 / 113
How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll242291317313286273
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals0%0%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support39%27%35%38%36%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%0%0%0%0%

What pupils do next

After sixth form

Where the 26 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training50%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers
Still in education, work or training50%62%46%
Education50%50%31%
Apprenticeship0%6%0%
Work0%6%15%
Not in education, work or training15%15%8%

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m1,84312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate206 per 1,000 people126% higher than the England average
Typical house price£295,000Dover
Nearest bus stop150 mLadywell, 25 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Richard's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy630 m191Good 202222Compare
Dover Grammar School for GirlsCouncil (grammar)680 m847No overall grade 202585Compare
Priory Fields SchoolAcademy690 m319Good 20248Compare
Dover, St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England690 m161No overall grade 20259Compare
Charlton Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy790 m206Good 20239Compare
Barton Junior SchoolAcademy880 m202Good 202432Compare
St Edmund's Catholic SchoolAcademy940 m644Good 202243Compare
Vale View Community SchoolAcademy970 m222Good 202221Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Dover College a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Dover College yet.

How good are Dover College's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 0% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 25.5, against 46.8 for England.

How many pupils does Dover College have?

242 pupils aged 2 to 18 were on the roll in January 2024. It has 478 places, so it is 51% full.

Does Dover College have a sixth form?

Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was C-. 7 A level subjects had results in 2025; the full list is in the results section.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Effingham Crescent, Dover, CT17 9RH
Telephone
01304 205969
Website
www.dovercollege.org.uk
Headteacher
Mr Phil Tattersall-King
Type of school
Independent school (Other independent school, independent schools)
Phase
Independent school, ages 2-18, with nursery, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England
Local authority
Kent
Ward
Town & Castle
Constituency
Dover and Deal
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 January 1909
URN
118940 · LAESTAB 8866003 · UKPRN 10008199

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from