The Rochester Grammar School, Rochester

In its own words: "The Rochester Grammar School is a high-performing secondary which is part of the TSA Trust where diversity is celebrated as we create a safe and inspiring place for children to learn; where their rights are respected and they are able to develop their talents and abilities to their full potential."

Coming up: an open evening on Wednesday 25 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at The Rochester Grammar School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 67.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.3 in Medway and 47 across England.

93% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in Medway and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 68.4.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.67: pupils made well 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 61.7, against 68.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 6.7 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Social Studies and History.

The Rochester Grammar School 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, 240 families put The Rochester Grammar School as their first choice and 838 named it as one of their preferences, for 204 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 72 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The Rochester Grammar School 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, The Rochester Grammar School 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 The Rochester Grammar School are Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School (0.1 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 69.9); The Thomas Aveling School (0.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 38.8); Medway Secure Training Centre (0.7 miles); and St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 40.4).

The Rochester Grammar School's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.

The Rochester Grammar School is one of 26 schools run by The Thinking Schools Academy Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.9 in 2024/25.

Of the 168 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 99% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 2% to a further education college.

Of the 102 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 78% went on to university or other higher education, 4% to apprenticeships and 10% into work. 50% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

10.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 18 pupils (1.5%) received SEN support and 2 (0.2%) 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 nearest railway station is Chatham Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Grammar Schools (outside), 110 metres away.

In 2024/25, The Rochester Grammar School issued 46 suspensions, 3.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Rochester Grammar School are Delce Academy (0.2 miles), St William of Perth Roman Catholic Primary School (0.2 miles), Crest Infant School (0.2 miles) and St Peter's Infant School (0.4 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.