Best Schools in Gillingham

How many schools are there in Gillingham?

Gillingham has 43 open schools: 30 state primary, 9 state secondary or all-through, 3 special and 1 other.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Are there any Outstanding schools in Gillingham?

None of the 33 graded schools in Gillingham currently holds an Outstanding rating. 30 are rated Good, so 91% are 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.

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Gillingham get the best GCSE results?

Of the 7 schools in Gillingham with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Rainham Mark Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 63.1 and 89% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; The Howard School, with an Attainment 8 score of 47.3 and 36% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Rainham School for Girls, with an Attainment 8 score of 44.8 and 29% 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.

Rainham Mark Grammar SchoolThe Howard SchoolRainham School for Girls

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Gillingham have the best SATs results?

Of the 24 primary schools in Gillingham with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Bredhurst Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (100% in reading, 95% in maths); Thames View Primary School (88% in reading, 92% in maths); and Napier Community Primary and Nursery Academy (90% in reading, 87% 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.

Bredhurst Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolThames View Primary SchoolNapier Community Primary and Nursery Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Gillingham?

Yes. Rainham Mark Grammar School is a state grammar school in Gillingham. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Rainham Mark Grammar School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Gillingham have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Gillingham 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 Gillingham?

Apply to your council - Medway, Dorset 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.