Chatham Grammar School 11 plus: 2024 entry guide

About Chatham Grammar School

Chatham Grammar School is a selective state school in Medway, Kent. The school has historically been girls-only for ages 11 to 16 with a mixed sixth form, but will welcome boys into Year 7 in 2024 onwards. This is part of a wider move by Medway Council to provide a more equal balance of the number of grammar school places available to boys and girls in the area.

Chatham Grammar School is part of the established University of Kent Academies Trust (UKAT), which gives students access to a range of university resources to support their academic and social development. Students benefit from academic mentoring from graduate and postgraduate ambassadors, visits to the university campus, and a wide range of curriculum and enrichment activities.

• Address: Chatham Grammar School, Rainham Road, Chatham, Kent, ME5 7EH

• Local authority: Medway Council

• School type: girls' grammar with mixed sixth form, becoming mixed from Year 7 (2024 onwards)

• Headteacher: Wendy Walters

• Number of pupils: 900+

Key info for Year 7 admissions

• Admissions contact: [email protected]

• Number of places in Year 7: 150

• Open events: TBC

• 11 plus registration opens: 1st June 2023

• 11 plus registration closes: 30th June 2023

• 11 plus exam date: 12th–13th September 2023 (or 16th–17th September for children not attending a Medway primary school)

• 11 plus exam type: Medway Test

• Common application form (CAF) deadline: 31st October 2023

• National school offer day: 1st March 2023

How to apply to Chatham Grammar School

Chatham Grammar School is an academically-selective school and accepts pupils based on whether they have passed the 11 plus exam. All six grammar schools in Medway use the same 11 plus exam, known as the Medway Test.

If you are considering grammar schools within either Bexley or the Kent local authority area, you will need to register separately. Grammar schools in these areas use different 11 plus tests and have different timetables.

• Find out about the Kent Test

• Find out about the Bexley Selection Test

1. Register for the Medway Test

Before you register your child for the exam, speak to their teacher to see if the Medway Test and a grammar school education are right for them.

Registration for the Medway Test will open on the council website on 1st June 2023. You will have until 30th June 2023 to complete your child's application.

If your child attends a Medway primary school they take the test at their own school on either Tuesday 12th or Wednesday 13th September 2023. If your child does not attend a Medway primary school, they will take the test on either Saturday 16th or Sunday 17th September 2023 at a local test centre.

2. Apply for school places

You will be sent your child's results on 3rd October 2023. If they have achieved the pass mark in the exam, they will be eligible for a grammar school place. You can then name Chatham Grammar School as one of your preferred schools on your common application form.

Make sure to check the admissions policy for the school before you complete your common application form. Passing the Medway Test will not be a guarantee of a place as more children reach the qualifying standard each year than there are places available. We've summarised the key points in Chatham Grammar School's admission policy below.

The application form must be submitted to your home local council by 31st October 2023. The form must be completed for your home local authority – i.e. if you live in Medway you will need to complete the form on the Medway Council website. If you live in a different local authority (e.g. Kent County Council), make sure to apply on the relevant council website.

How is the Medway Test scored?

Your child's test papers will be marked to provide 'raw' scores. The maths & reasoning marks will be based on the number of correct answers, while the extended writing piece will be marked against specific criteria.

The raw scores will then be standardised to ensure that children born later in the school year aren't disadvantaged.

A total weighted score will then be calculated for each child using this formula:

(Extended writing standardised score x 2) + (maths & non-verbal reasoning standardised score x 2) + (verbal reasoning standardised score x 1) = total weighted score

The total weighted scores will then be ranked in order.

What's the pass mark for the Medway Test?

The Medway Test is designed to select the 23% of children working at the top academic ability range in their year group. A further 2% of children can then be selected through a later review process.

There is no set pass mark for the Medway Test, as it can only be confirmed once the tests have been marked and the weighted scores ranked in order. However, in the last four years, the pass mark has consistently been between 480 and 490.

Achieving the minimum score doesn't guarantee a place at the school of your choice, as schools are often oversubscribed with qualified candidates. We always recommend researching the admission policies for your target schools, looking at their oversubscription criteria and their catchment area. We've included the key points from Chatham Grammar School's admission criteria below.

Chatham Grammar School admission criteria

There are 150 places available in Year 7 at Chatham Grammar School. Children who have met the pass mark and who have a statement of special educational needs (SSEN) or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which specifically names the school will automatically be offered places. The number of remaining places will then be reduced accordingly.

If the number of eligible children who apply to Chatham Grammar School is greater than the number of places available, the school will apply oversubscription criteria. Places will be offered in the following priority order:

1. Children in public care or previously in public care ('looked after' or 'previously looked after' children)

2. Children who have a brother or sister attending a UKAT academy

3. Children of staff working at any UKAT academy

4. Children living closest to the school

There is no designated catchment area for Chatham Grammar School, but children who live closer to the school (measured by the shortest available safe walking route between their home and the school) will receive priority for places.

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