Maidstone Grammar School vs The Norton Knatchbull School

Side by side

	Maidstone Grammar School	The Norton Knatchbull School
Phase	Secondary	Secondary
Gender	Boys	Boys
Pupils on roll	1,443	1,348
Free school meals	8.7%	8.5%
Ofsted rating	Good	Good
Attainment 8 — 2025/26	67	64.2
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)	pass/fail then criteria order (score doesn't give priority after passing)
Places offered — 202627	205	192
First preferences per place — higher means more competition for a first-preference place	1.15	1.17

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 Norton Knatchbull 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 ↗

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

Looked after and previously looked after children
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…
Other qualifying boys in the listed parishes — targeted free school meals first, then siblings, children of staff, nearest first
All other qualifying boys — targeted free school meals first, then siblings, children of staff, nearest first

Source: school admissions policy.

The Norton Knatchbull School

Looked after and previously looked after children
Children eligible for the Pupil Premium
A brother or sister at the school
Health and special access reasons
Nearness of home to the school

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.

Other Kent comparisons

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