Chatham Grammar vs Holcombe Grammar School

Side by side

	Chatham Grammar	Holcombe Grammar School
Phase	Secondary	Secondary
Gender	Mixed	Boys
Pupils on roll	948	1,060
Free school meals	17.4%	12.7%
Ofsted rating	Good	Good
Attainment 8 — 2025/26	60.6	59.8
11+ test board	GL Assessment	GL Assessment
Admission system	pass/fail then criteria order (score doesn't give priority after passing)	pass/fail then criteria order (score doesn't give priority after passing)
Places offered — 202627	150	179
First preferences per place — higher means more competition for a first-preference place	1.23	0.77

Qualifying scores

Chatham Grammar

No fixed pass mark. The Medway Test aggregate score (max 700 — English and maths standardised scores double-weighted, plus reasoning) is compared to a threshold set fresh each year: the score level that includes roughly the top 25% of Medway Year 6 children. The threshold is published by Medway Council with results in October. Passing makes a child eligible; each school's oversubscription criteria then apply.

Council source ↗

Holcombe Grammar School

No fixed pass mark. The Medway Test aggregate score (max 700 — English and maths standardised scores double-weighted, plus reasoning) is compared to a threshold set fresh each year: the score level that includes roughly the top 25% of Medway Year 6 children. The threshold is published by Medway Council with results in October. Passing makes a child eligible; each school's oversubscription criteria then apply.

Council source ↗

Who gets priority

Where a school is oversubscribed, these are the first criteria applied, in order. This is usually what decides an application.

Chatham Grammar

Looked after and previously looked after children (admitted automatically)
Children with a sibling at the school who has been deemed selective
Children of staff employed for a year or more (or in a skill-shortage post)
Nearness of home to the school

Source: school admissions policy.

Holcombe Grammar School

Looked after and previously looked after children
Children with a sibling at the school
Children at a Thinking Schools Academy Trust Medway primary (The Gordon, New Horizons, All Faiths, Cedar Children's Academies)
Children of staff employed for two years or more (or in a skill-shortage post)
A specific health reason, with written medical evidence
Children living closest to the school

Source: school admissions policy.

Choosing between them

Chatham Grammar is a mixed school and Holcombe Grammar School is a boys school, so for many families the starting point is which one can admit their child. The figures on this page are the published ones — they describe intakes and results, not what either school would be like for your child. The right choice depends on your family's own priorities and circumstances.

Other Medway comparisons

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