The Thomas Aveling School, Rochester

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

In 2026, pupils at The Thomas Aveling School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38.8, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.3 in Medway and 47 across England.

23% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 44% in Medway and 47% in England.

That is down from 41.3 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.16: 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 33.4, against 42.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 9 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 26 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Business Studies and Art and Design.

For September 2026 entry, 233 families put The Thomas Aveling School as their first choice and 683 named it as one of their preferences, for 204 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 59 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to The Thomas Aveling School are Medway Secure Training Centre (0.4 miles); Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 69.9); The Rochester Grammar School (0.5 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 67.5); and Holcombe Grammar School (0.7 miles, Good, selective, Attainment 8 59.8).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than The Thomas Aveling School.

The Thomas Aveling School is one of 10 schools run by Beyond Schools Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 44.9 in 2024/25.

Of the 190 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 86% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 33% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.

Of the 98 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 45% went on to university or other higher education, 2% to apprenticeships and 31% into work. 6% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

12.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (70%), Mixed (8%) and Asian (7%).

The Thomas Aveling School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment: 20 places, 13 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Chatham Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.

13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Thomas Aveling School (opposite), 90 metres away.

In 2024/25, The Thomas Aveling School issued 318 suspensions, 26.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to The Thomas Aveling School are Warren Wood Primary School (0.1 miles), Delce Academy (0.5 miles), Crest Infant School (0.5 miles) and Balfour Infant School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.