Best Schools in Chatham

How many schools are there in Chatham?

Chatham has 34 open schools: 22 state primary, 9 state secondary or all-through and 3 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Chatham are rated Outstanding?

3 schools in Chatham were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Fort Pitt Grammar School, The Rowans and Bradfields Academy. Counting Good as well, 100% of the 23 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Fort Pitt Grammar SchoolThe RowansBradfields Academy

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Chatham get the best GCSE results?

Of the 9 schools in Chatham with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Fort Pitt Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 63 and 80% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Chatham Grammar (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 60.6 and 74% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Holcombe Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 59.8 and 82% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Selective schools admit by ability, so their raw results are not a like-for-like comparison with comprehensives. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Fort Pitt Grammar SchoolChatham GrammarHolcombe Grammar School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Chatham have the best SATs results?

Of the 15 primary schools in Chatham with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Walderslade Primary School (93% in reading, 93% in maths); St Benedict's Catholic Primary School (87% in reading, 84% in maths); and Lordswood School (84% in reading, 85% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Walderslade Primary SchoolSt Benedict's Catholic Primary SchoolLordswood School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Chatham?

Yes. Chatham Grammar, Fort Pitt Grammar School and Holcombe Grammar School are state grammar schools in Chatham. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Chatham GrammarFort Pitt Grammar SchoolHolcombe Grammar School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Chatham have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Chatham have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, the council allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Chatham?

Apply to your council - Medway or Kent, depending on your address - through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.