We are very proud of our school and hope this prospectus will giveyou an idea of the high quality education provided.

We place a very high value at MGGS on creating a caringcommunity in which everyone feels confident and valued.This is our priority as we know that young people flourish andsucceed when they feel happy and secure. Our ethos is based onwell-established traditional values, respect for others, and respectfor the process of learning.

Academic excellence and scholarship are very important to us too.We want all students to feel engaged and excited by learning becausewe know there is a strong link between enjoyment and achievement.Our students are keen to learn and we are able to respond positivelyto differing needs and strengths with the right balance of supportand challenge, enabling all students to experience the pleasure ofachieving personal goals. When they leave the school, our studentsare mature and well-qualified young people, confident in their abilityto make a significant contribution to the wider world and ready tomeet the exciting opportunities ahead.

We are proud of the school’s long and distinguished history inMaidstone, and are committed to the continuing provision of anoutstanding education for all our current and future students.Every student who attends MGGS has talents: our business is tofind these and foster them, developing a love of learning that willlast a lifetime.

We look forward to meeting you.

Mary SmithHeadteacher

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“I have nothing but praise for the school. Ilove the holistic approach where everything thechild does matters.” Parent

“Maidstone Grammar School for Girls is anoutstanding school.” Ofsted

“I adore it here and I feel I have developedhugely as a person.” Year 11 student

“Students greatly enjoy all aspects of schoollife, and this is reflected in their exemplarybehaviour.” Ofsted

“The school is passionately committed todeveloping students’ scholarship and a love oflearning” University of Exeter, CognitiveEducation Centre

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Our students enjoy their learning because it isstimulating and challenging. We encourage them tobe open-minded, to engage with new ideas, to becreative in their thinking, and always to find theenjoyment in learning. Lessons are lively andinteractive, including the use of the latesttechnology. Developing self-esteem in their learningis crucial and our students are encouraged to thinkfor themselves – questioning, analysing andevaluating what they learn across the curriculum.

We are delighted that our work has beenrecognised by the University of Exeter through ouraccreditation as a “Thinking School”. Theuniversity specifically commented on theenthusiasm of the staff and the “atmosphere ofgenuine inquiry and delight in learning amongstthe students.”

Our standards and expectations are high and wepride ourselves in supporting students to achieveand fulfil them. We monitor progress closely,working in partnership with parents at every stage.The curriculum is rich, diverse and flexible.

It is designed to encourage all to develop asindependent thinkers with lively and enquiringminds. We all take pride in celebrating theachievement of our students.

“ Students of all abilities achieveexceptionally well” Ofsted

The friendliness of MGGS is one of its finestqualities. We value highly the welcoming, caring andcourteous behaviour of our students and encouragethem in the development of self-discipline andresponsibility throughout their time at school.

Individual identity and personal development areat the heart of the school and we are well knownfor the care and support we give to all of ourstudents. In addition, our wider programme ofstudy enables all to develop a good understandingof how to lead healthy and responsible lives.

A well-planned induction process ensures that newstudents quickly become confident and valuedmembers of the community. Students feel safe toenjoy their education and relationships betweenstudents across the school are excellent, enhancedby the very active and long-establishedHouse system.

Experience shows us that students who are wellsupported, happy and confident in their work, giveso much back to their school and to the widercommunity.

The large sums of money raised each year for causesthey have taken to their hearts provide evidence ofthe genuine generosity of spirit of our students.

“High quality care and guidance resultin a strongly inclusive and caringatmosphere in the school, a place wherestudents feel safe and valued.” OfstedA

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“I feel very happy at this school and itmakes me feel safe. I feel proud to be amember of the school.” Year 7 student

“The school has exceeded all ourexpectations and has transformed mydaughter’s academic performance and selfesteem. She now excels in all areas ofschool life, thanks to MGGS.” Parent

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The creative arts play an important role in theoverall education of our students, adding a richnessto the curriculum and encouraging all students tobe imaginative and innovative in the way theyexpress themselves. Visitors often comment on thestunning displays of artistic work around the schoolthat come from students’ work in Art, Graphics,Textiles, Media and Technology or from the broaderapplication of these skills across the curriculum.The performing arts have always had a strong placeat MGGS with students having the opportunity toperform before audiences within school and beyond.

Our hugely successful House Arts competition hasbeen held annually for at least 75 years andinvolves every student who wishes to take part inspectacular and energetic performances of Drama,Dance and Music. This particular tradition is amuch-loved and enthusiastically supported aspectof the life of the school.

Fostering creativity is not confined to the creativearts, however. Our students have highly creativeminds and we encourage them to developimaginative and innovative responses to everythingthat they undertake. Finding creative solutions toproblems and using initiative to find new ways toapproach challenges are transferable skills whichstudents are encouraged to develop acrossthe curriculum.

“I am VERY happy at this school and Ireally enjoy my lessons.” Year 9 student

“I think the annual traditions such asRag Week and House Arts are great andgive wonderful school memories.” Parent

“Students enjoy excellent relationshipswith one another and with adults, andhave an exceptionally mature andpositive attitude to their learning.”Ofsted

We aim to extend and enrich the experience ofstudents both within and beyond the classroom toprovide a rich programme of opportunities for all.Students are encouraged to participate in the fullMGGS experience, with its strong emphasis oncommunity and charity work; dramatic, musicaland sports events; trips, visits and extra-curricularclubs; special events and themed days.

To give just a flavour of these opportunities,students have: tried out a new musical instrumentfor a day; taken part in a medieval fayre completewith hog roast and apothecary’s stall; competedsuccessfully in national rowing competitions; madefilms of school life; led primary school sportsevents; achieved Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze,Silver and Gold Awards; and sung at the O2.

Gifted and talented students have richopportunities to enjoy activities which stretch andchallenge their abilities. Our status as a sciencespecialist school gives further opportunities, such asdesigning and marketing a new lipstick, studyingGCSE Astronomy after school, taking OpenUniversity modules in Genetics or Forensic Science.

Sport is played in a spirit of griendly competition,with appreciation of fitness and health, and withopportunities to take part at the highest level forour most talented.

As well as most of the traditional sports, we alsooffer more unusual choices such as rowing, archeryand self-defence. Trips and visits, both locally andabroad, also widen and enrich student experienceand form an important part of our curriculum.

“Students are well prepared for furtherstudy; not only are their academicstandards, high, but they also develop asconfident articulate individuals.” Ofsted

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“Students enjoy success inan extremely wide range ofextra-curricular activitieswhich include many cultural,sporting and musicalopportunities.” Ofsted

“The standards of teaching,pastoral care and results havebeen first class.” Ofsted

“Students achieve outstandingly well throughout their time in theschool, and as a result overall standards in external texts andexaminations are exceptionally high.” Ofsted

“I absolutely adore this school. It’s literally been a second home for meand has made me who I am today. School spirit is amazing and myteachers have done nothing but support me.” Sixth form student

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We want students to make informed and confidentchoices about their futures so we make sure theyhave access to high quality guidance and up-to-dateinformation. We deliver a comprehensive careersprogramme throughout the school and are delightedthat we have been awarded the prestigious Investorsin Careers Stage 3 award. Our students leave schoolready to meet the challenges and opportunities aheadof them – and take their places in an impressivelywide range of higher education courses and careers.

Our highly successful mixed sixth form offers excitingopportunities for academic achievement and personaldevelopment. Having such a large sixth form enablesus to offer a comprehensive range of courses andconsiderable flexibility in personalising theprogramme of study for each student.

The school has an outstanding record of success atAdvanced Level, enabling students to accessuniversity courses and careers of their choice. Anextensive range of extra curricular activities is alsoavailable to our sixth form students. Highlightsinclude: the organisation of an annual Rag Week,which regularly raises over £4000 for local andnational charities; an exceptionally large andsuccessful Duke of Edinburgh’s Award unit; higherand community Sports Leader Awards; EnglishSpeaking Board and Personal Finance qualifications;Open University modules; a university-style lectureseries; the opportunity to act as head and seniorstudents and as school governors. Find out moreabout the sixth form at Maidstone Grammar Schoolfor Girls in our sixth form prospectus.

“What a fantastic 7 years our daughterhas had! What a wonderful springboard foruniversity and life after education!”Parent

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The school has been serving the local communitysince 1888, firstly in the centre of town and from1939 on our current site. We are proud of the partthe school has played in pioneering education forgirls. From the start there was a focus on ensuringthat girls experienced the full curriculumincluding, very unusually, science in dedicatedlaboratories. Our beautiful new teaching block,Buckland House, was opened in 2012.

The school has recently built up a fascinatingarchive documenting the role of the school in thelives of so many young Maidstone women fromVictorian times, through two world wars to thepresent day. This archive is regularly used bystudents at the school in helping them tounderstand the social effects of historicaldevelopments. Since the school’s earliest days,girls, and more recently boys, have progressed intocareers in all walks of life – the arts, engineering,medicine, law, journalism, politics and business.We look forward confidently to continuing thiswork with the young people of Kent in the future.

BUCKLAND ROADMAIDSTONEKENT ME16 0SF

TELEPHONE: 01622 752103FAX: 01622 681947EMAIL: central@mggs.orgWEBSITE: www.mggs.org