St Simon Stock Catholic School, Maidstone

Ofsted's report card from its 13 January 2026 inspection grades St Simon Stock Catholic School on 7 areas: 1 strong standard and 6 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Inclusion is a thread that runs through every aspect of school life."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Overall, pupils learn the curriculum well."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "The school has effective systems in place to monitor the attendance of pupils."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "The school's curriculum is well planned and pupils study a broad range of subjects."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have a detailed understanding of the school's context and are committed to providing a high-quality, inclusive education for its pupils."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The school's ethos is at the core of the school's personal development and wellbeing programme."

Post 16 provision - Expected standard. "Leaders have designed the curriculum at post-16 so that it generally meets the needs of students well."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should continue to improve checks on learning in lessons so teachers know what pupils have learned and address gaps in their knowledge before moving on, including in the sixth form"; "Leaders should maintain their focus on improving attendance and embed the strategies focused particularly on ensuring that disadvantaged pupils attend more regularly".

In 2026, pupils at St Simon Stock Catholic School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 42, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 48.1 in Kent and 47 across England.

31% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 49% in Kent and 47% in England.

That is down from 46.6 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.21: 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 29.9, against 44.3 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 14.4 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 163 families put St Simon Stock Catholic School as their first choice and 545 named it as one of their preferences, for 187 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 10 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to St Simon Stock Catholic School are St Augustine Academy (0.2 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 35.4); Oakwood Park Grammar School (0.2 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 66.1); The Maplesden Noakes School (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 36); and Maidstone Grammar School for Girls (0.8 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 62.7).

St Simon Stock Catholic School's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.

St Simon Stock Catholic School is one of 33 schools run by Kent Catholic Schools' Partnership, an academy trust.

139 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Simon Stock Catholic School (as of April 2026): 85% would recommend the school, 84% say their child is happy there and 69% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (85%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (69%).

Of the 178 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 90% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 24% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 100 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 61% went on to university or other higher education, 9% to apprenticeships and 19% into work. 13% 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%), and 26.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (53%), Mixed (11%) and Asian (9%).

The nearest railway station is Maidstone Barracks Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Saxon Mews (adjacent), 150 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 297 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 Kent (101), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, St Simon Stock Catholic School issued 155 suspensions, 13.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to St Simon Stock Catholic School are St Francis' Catholic Primary School, Maidstone (under 0.1 miles); West Borough Primary School (0.4 miles); Brunswick House Primary School (0.7 miles); and Maidstone, St Michael's Church of England Junior School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.