Chatham Grammar

About Chatham Grammar

Chatham Grammar is a girls' secondary school in Medway that clearly commands strong local demand. For the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 695 applications for just 126 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 5.52. Of those, 132 families put it as their first preference, and 82 first-preference offers were made. That level of competition suggests parents in the area see real value here. While the Department for Education does not publish a formal parent view score for this school, the sheer volume of applications — more than five applicants per place — is a powerful signal in itself. The school is a state-funded grammar, so entry is selective, and the high number of applications reflects its reputation within Medway's competitive secondary landscape. With 950 pupils on roll against a capacity of 976, it is running very close to full, which only adds to the sense of a school that families are keen to get into.

Academically, Chatham Grammar performs well above the local average. Its Progress 8 score of +0.36 is rated 'Above average' nationally and places it 4th out of 18 schools in Medway, well ahead of the local authority average of -0.1. Pupils achieve an Attainment 8 score of 60.1, and 78.2% secure a grade 5 or above in English and maths. The school is particularly strong in English, with a Progress 8 score of +0.72, though maths is slightly below the national average at -0.07. The EBacc entry rate is very high at 96.1%, and 53.1% of pupils achieve the EBacc at grade 5 or above. At A-level, the picture is more mixed: the value-added score is -0.15, classed as 'Below average', and the sixth form provision was rated 'Requires improvement' in the most recent Ofsted inspection. However, the school's overall Ofsted rating remains 'Good', a grade it has held consistently across inspections in 2018 and 2023.

The school offers a broad range of facilities, including a swimming pool, theatre, sports hall, tennis courts, and a sixth form centre. There are plenty of extracurricular options too, from rowing and martial arts to Model UN, Young Enterprise, and coding club. SEND provision covers seven areas, including dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder, and speech and language needs. Chatham Grammar is a selective girls' school with a large sixth form, so it will suit academically able girls who are comfortable in a single-sex environment and aiming for strong GCSE results. The high oversubscription means families need to be prepared for a competitive admissions process. For those who secure a place, the school delivers solid academic outcomes at GCSE, though the sixth form's value-added rating is something to investigate further if you are considering the full 11-18 journey.

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