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Maidstone Grammar School vs The Judd School

Both are grammar schools in Kent, 12.7 miles apart. Side-by-side on official DfE, Ofsted and council admissions data.

Side by side

Maidstone Grammar School The Judd School
Phase Secondary Secondary
Gender Boys Boys
Pupils on roll 1,443 1,541
Free school meals 8.7% 2.8%
Ofsted rating Good Not judged
Attainment 8 — 2025/26 67 78.3
11+ test board GL Assessment GL Assessment
Admission system pass/fail + catchment (passing the test is a gate; living in the catchment area determines priority over score) qualifying score is the minimum; places then go in score order (distance only breaks ties)
Places offered — 202627 205 179
First preferences per place — higher means more competition for a first-preference place 1.15 2.23

Qualifying scores

Maidstone Grammar School

332 out of 423 (2026 entry)

Aggregate ≥332 with no single paper below 108. County-wide Kent Test threshold: reaching it earns a 'suitable for grammar school' assessment, NOT a place — each school then applies its own oversubscription criteria, and super-selective schools (The Judd School, Skinners', Tonbridge, Dartford) fill in score order well above the threshold.

Council source ↗

The Judd School

389 (2026 entry)

Published. The Judd School uses inner/outer postcode areas. 2026 entry cut-off: Inner Area 389 / Outer Area 403. Mean score of those offered: 396.5. 180 places: 157 inner, 23 outer. Waiting list threshold (2 Mar 2026): Inner ~385 / Outer 403.

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.

Maidstone Grammar School

  1. Looked after and previously looked after children
  2. Boys living in the listed parishes (Maidstone and surrounding parishes, including Aylesford, Bearsted, Coxheath, Headcorn, Kings Hill, Marden, Snodland, Staplehurst and West Malling) who score 360 or…
  3. Other qualifying boys in the listed parishes — targeted free school meals first, then siblings, children of staff, nearest first
  4. All other qualifying boys — targeted free school meals first, then siblings, children of staff, nearest first

Source: school admissions policy.

The Judd School

  1. Looked after and previously looked after children
  2. Up to 5 Inner Area places for boys on free school meals, then the Pupil Premium
  3. 157 Inner Area places (TN1–4, TN8–15, ME18–19, parts of TN16 and DA4, and Halstead) — in order of Kent Test aggregate score
  4. 23 Outer Area places — in order of Kent Test aggregate score

Source: school admissions policy.

Choosing between them

Both schools admit boys, so the decision usually comes down to the admission criteria above and how far each one reaches. 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.

Full detail for each school: Maidstone Grammar School · The Judd School
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