The Malling School, West Malling

In its own words: "To transform lives by providing opportunities for all pupils to achieve their maximum potential in a happy, safe and inclusive environment. Our vision is at the heart of everything we do. It reflects our belief that every young person deserves to be known, to belong and to be inspired to achieve their very best."

From the headteacher's welcome: "At The Malling School Sixth Form, we pride ourselves on our holistic approach, developing the whole student, from their academic lessons, the International Baccalaureate core, and a rich extra-curricular offer. Sixth Form courses are much harder than GCSEs and so our students are required to work outside of the classroom."

Coming up: an open evening on Thursday 5 November 2026 and an open evening on Friday 27 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at The Malling School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 39.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 48.1 in Kent and 47 across England.

27% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 49% in Kent and 47% in England.

That is down from 41 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.21: pupils made below 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 34.7, against 41.1 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 6.4 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Spanish.

For September 2026 entry, 247 families put The Malling School as their first choice and 616 named it as one of their preferences, for 150 places offered. That is 1.6 first choices for every place. 101 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to The Malling School are Aylesford School (1.5 miles, Attainment 8 37.2); The Holmesdale School (2.3 miles, Attainment 8 39.7); St Simon Stock Catholic School (3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42); and Oakwood Park Grammar School (3.2 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 66.1).

The Malling School's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

The Malling School is run by its own single-school academy trust.

Of the 180 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 82% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 42% to a further education college, 6% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 64 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 45% went on to university or other higher education, 8% to apprenticeships and 30% into work. 12% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

1.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 101 pupils (9.6%) received SEN support and 177 (16.8%) 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.

The Malling School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 121 places, 124 pupils on roll.

The Malling School had 93 teachers in 2026, one for every 11 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.

The nearest railway station is East Malling Rail Station, about 640 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Malling School (outside), 210 metres away.

In 2024/25, The Malling School issued 81 suspensions, 7.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Malling School are Lift St James the Great (0.2 miles), More Park Catholic Primary School (0.7 miles), Brookfield Infant School (0.8 miles) and Lunsford Primary School (0.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.