Chatham Grammar, Chatham

From the headteacher's welcome: "A school driven by ambition, founded on excellence, and committed to nurturing the talents and aspirations of every young person. As Principal, I am proud to lead a school that champions high academic standards, personal development, and a supportive community environment."

Coming up: an open evening on Thursday 19 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Chatham Grammar averaged an Attainment 8 score of 60.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.3 in Medway and 47 across England.

74% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in Medway and 47% in England.

That is down from 61.8 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.36: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 55.3, against 61.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 6.4 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Social Studies, History and Combined Science.

Chatham Grammar is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.

For September 2026 entry, 185 families put Chatham Grammar as their first choice and 1151 named it as one of their preferences, for 150 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 87 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

Chatham Grammar admits pupils through an entrance test - in Medway, the Medway Test. Children have to be registered for it in advance, normally in the spring or summer of Year 5; the test itself is usually sat in September of Year 6, and results come out in October, before the 31 October deadline for naming secondary schools.

Passing the test makes a child eligible rather than guaranteeing a place: when more children pass than there are places, Chatham Grammar ranks them by the criteria in its admissions policy, which can include test score and distance. Check Medway's admissions pages and the school's own policy for this year's registration deadline - a child who is not registered in time cannot sit the test.

Medway has 6 state grammar schools in all, so a child who passes may have several selective schools to choose between.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Chatham Grammar are Hospital and Medical Tuition Service (0.4 miles); The Robert Napier School (0.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 30.2); Brompton Academy (0.7 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 35.7); and The Victory Academy (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 38.9).

Chatham Grammar's 2026 results were higher than all 3 of them.

Chatham Grammar is one of 2 schools run by The University of Kent Academies Trust, an academy trust.

Of the 179 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 96% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 7% to a further education college.

Of the 107 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 65% went on to university or other higher education, 6% to apprenticeships and 25% into work. 11% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

16.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 42 pupils (4.4%) received SEN support and 5 (0.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.

Chatham Grammar has a SEN unit for autism: 5 places, 0 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Gillingham (Kent) Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.

12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Augustines Church (opposite), 80 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Chatham Grammar stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 693 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Medway (250), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Chatham Grammar issued 16 suspensions, 1.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Chatham Grammar are Byron Primary School (0.2 miles), Luton Primary School (0.3 miles), Napier Community Primary and Nursery Academy (0.6 miles) and All Saints Church of England Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.