SchoolsGPT

Maidstone Grammar School vs The Skinners' School

Both are grammar schools in Kent, 14.4 miles apart. Side-by-side on official DfE, Ofsted and council admissions data.

Side by side

Maidstone Grammar School The Skinners' School
Phase Secondary Secondary
Gender Boys Boys
Pupils on roll 1,443 1,149
Free school meals 8.7% 5%
Ofsted rating Good Not published
Attainment 8 — 2025/26 67 72.7
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 205 160
First preferences per place — higher means more competition for a first-preference place 1.15 1.45

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 Skinners' 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

  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 Skinners' School

  1. Looked after and previously looked after children
  2. Up to 16 places for Pupil Premium boys in the West Kent Area (3 miles plus named parishes including Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks)
  3. Up to 108 places for other boys in the West Kent Area — first those 40+ marks above the Kent threshold, then other qualified boys; siblings, then sons of staff, then nearest first
  4. Up to 16 Governors' places for the highest Kent Test scorers in the West Kent Area not otherwise offered a place
  5. Up to 20 places for boys from outside the West Kent Area — 40+ above the threshold first; siblings, sons of staff, then nearest

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 Skinners' School
Or see all secondary schools in Kent ranked.

Other Kent comparisons

All grammar school comparisons →

Have a specific question about admissions, scores or dates?

Ask SchoolsGPT