Best secondary schools in Medway
15 of 20 secondary schools ranked by Progress 8 · all Medway schools · primary schools
Ranked on Progress 8, 2023/24 — the most recent year each school has published. Official data, not our opinion — but the ranking is only as good as the measure, and a single number never describes a school. We hold real catchment boundaries for 6 of them.
- 13 of 20 rated Good or Outstanding
- 6 oversubscribed on first preference
- 4 Good or better and undersubscribed — the overlooked ones
- Median Progress 8: 0.16 (best 0.9)
| # | School | Progress 8 | Ofsted | Places | Catchment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School Rochester grammar | 0.9 | Outstanding | oversubscribed 1.67 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 2 | The Rochester Grammar School Rochester grammar | 0.67 | Good | oversubscribed 1.18 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 3 | Fort Pitt Grammar School Chatham grammar | 0.64 | Outstanding | oversubscribed 1.6 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 4 | Chatham Grammar Chatham grammar | 0.36 | Good | oversubscribed 1.23 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 5 | Rainham School for Girls Gillingham | 0.33 | Good | about even 1.01 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 6 | Rainham Mark Grammar School Gillingham grammar | 0.28 | Good declining | oversubscribed 1.21 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 7 | The Howard School Gillingham hidden gem | 0.24 | Good | about even 0.94 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 8 | The Thomas Aveling School Rochester | 0.16 | Good | about even 1.14 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 9 | Holcombe Grammar School Chatham hidden gem grammar | 0.15 | Good improving | undersubscribed 0.77 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 10 | Leigh Academy Strood Rochester hidden gem | -0.17 | Good | undersubscribed 0.81 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 11 | The Victory Academy Chatham hidden gem | -0.36 | Good improving | about even 0.86 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 12 | Brompton Academy Gillingham | -0.37 | Not judged declining | oversubscribed 1.71 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 13 | St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School Rochester | -0.55 | Not judged improving | undersubscribed 0.59 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 14 | Waterfront UTC Chatham | -0.9 | Good | — | approximate |
| 15 | The Robert Napier School Gillingham | -1.0 | Not judged improving | undersubscribed 0.43 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
Also in Medway
5 further secondary schools with no published Progress 8 for the latest year — usually too small a cohort to report, newly opened, or a special school. Listed because leaving them out would make this a misleading picture of Medway, not a fairer one.
- Greenacre School Ofsted: Inadequate
- Leigh Academy Rainham Ofsted: Good
- Maritime Academy Ofsted: Not judged
- Rochester Independent College
- Walderslade School Ofsted: Inadequate
Applying in Medway
Knowing which school is best is only half of it — these are the deadlines that decide whether you can apply at all.
- Selective / 11+ test date 2026-09-15 · 2027 entry Medway Test main sitting 15–16 September 2026 (Medway school pupils); out-of-Medway children sit 19–20 September 2026 at a Medway test centre
- Secondary application deadline 2026-10-31 · 2027 entry Common Application Form deadline (national)
- Primary (Reception) application deadline 2027-01-15 · 2027 entry Primary (Reception) application deadline for September 2027 entry. National statutory deadline 15 January 2027; apply via your home local authority.
- Secondary National Offer Day 2027-03-01 · 2027 entry National Offer Day — school allocations announced
- Primary National Offer Day 2027-04-16 · 2027 entry Primary National Offer Day for September 2027 entry — Reception place offers (16 April).
- Secondary application deadline 2027-10-31 · 2028 entry Secondary Common Application Form (CAF) deadline for September 2028 entry (Year 7). National statutory deadline 31 October 2027; apply via your home local authority. Selective/grammar registration, if any, is a separate earlier deadline.
Rankings compare published results. They do not tell you which school your child will get into — that depends on where you live, sibling and faith priority, and how many people apply this year. Ask below, or check the Medway admission criteria.
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