Contents
Thinking about applying to Holcombe Grammar School for entry in 2026? Find out everything you need to know about admissions and how to prepare your child for success in the 11 plus.
Key information about Holcombe Grammar School
Address: Holcombe Grammar School, Holcombe Hill, Chatham, Kent ME4 6TJ
Number of pupils: 1,000+
Admissions contact: [email protected]
Number of places in Year 7: 150
11+ exam: Medway Test
Catchment area: no
Dates for your diary
Monday 19th May 2025: 11+ registration opens
Friday 13th June 2025: 11+ registration closes
Tuesday 16th and Wednesday 17th September 2025: 11+ exam dates
Wednesday 15th October 2025: 11+ results released
Friday 31st October 2025: secondary school application deadline
Monday 2nd March 2026: secondary school national offers day
About Holcombe Grammar School
Holcombe Grammar School is a boys' grammar school with a mixed sixth form in Medway, Kent. The University of Exeter awarded the school 'Advanced Thinking School status' in 2022. This recognises the school's commitment to helping students develop successful habits and become life-long learners.
The curriculum at Holcombe Grammar School is designed to challenge and inspire students. As well as traditional subjects, the curriculum caters to less conventional interests. GCSE and A level options include astronomy, creative iMedia, criminology, and financial studies.
A proposal by Medway Council has been put forward for the school to accept girls into Year 7 from 2025. This is to provide a more equal balance of the number of grammar school places available to boys and girls in the area.
How to apply to Holcombe Grammar School
Holcombe Grammar School is a selective school. This means that your child will need to take the local 11 plus exam, known as the Medway Test, to be eligible for a place.
The deadline to register for the 11 plus exam at Holcombe Grammar School is Friday 13th June 2025. You can register your child for the test on the Medway Council website.
If your child goes to a Medway primary school, they will take the test at their current school on either Tuesday 16th September or Wednesday 17th September 2025. If your child does not go to a Medway primary school, they’ll be invited to take the exam at a test centre in the area on either Saturday 20th September or Sunday 21st September 2025.
You’ll receive your child’s results on Wednesday 15th October 2025. You can then use these results to decide whether to apply for a place at Holcombe Grammar School.
To apply, you’ll need to name the school as one of your preferred schools on the secondary school common application form. This will be available on your home council website from early September and must be submitted by 31st October.
Remember – passing the 11 plus doesn’t guarantee that your child will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Many grammar schools are often oversubscribed with qualified children. Schools and their admissions authorities work through admissions criteria to prioritise children for places. We’ve included the admissions criteria for Holcombe Grammar School below.
What subjects are on the entrance exam?
Children applying to Holcombe Grammar School take an exam known as the Medway Test. The exam papers are supplied by GL Assessment.
The Medway Test consists of three papers:
English
Maths
Reasoning
Guide to the Medway Test
Find out everything you need to know in our complete guide to the Medway Test. Plus, get access to free 11 plus resources to help your child feel confident for their exam!
How does place allocation work at Holcombe Grammar School?
The Medway Test is designed to identify the children working within the top 25% of their year group. This means that a pass mark can't be determined until after the tests have been marked and the scores ranked in order. However, in the last four years, the pass mark has been between 480 and 490.
If the number of children who have met the qualifying standard for entry to the school exceeds the number of places available, the school applies oversubscription criteria. Children are prioritised for places in the following order:
Children in public care or previously in public care ('looked after' or 'previously looked after' children)
Children who have a sibling attending Holcombe Grammar School
Children who attend any of the following primary schools in the Thinking Schools' Academy Trust: The Gordon Children's Academy, New Horizons Children's Academy, All Faiths Children's Academy, and Cedar Children's Academy
Children of staff employed by Holcombe Grammar School
Children who have written medical evidence which demonstrates a specific health reason to attend the school
Children who live closest to the school, based on the shortest distance between the school and their home address
Holcombe Grammar School doesn't have a catchment area. However, children who live closer to the school receive priority for places. This distance is measured based on the shortest available safe walking route between the child's home and the school.
How can I help my child prepare for the Medway Test?
The Medway Test is designed to be challenging. Here are our top tips to help your child prepare for the exam in September 2025.
Bitesize learning
It’s important to build a good knowledge base before the 11 plus. Using a ‘little and often’ approach when learning is key – our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. For children aged 10–11, child psychologists recommend regular study sessions of 20–30 minutes.
Atom Home makes learning a more enjoyable process for your child. They'll explore exciting worlds full of interactive questions, earning coins to spend in the Atom shop. Atom adapts to your child, showing them questions at just the right level of difficulty to keep them motivated.
Read widely
11 plus exams test your child’s ability to analyse and interpret written information. Regular reading is a great way to help your child build these skills.
Encourage them to read books from different genres and by a diverse range of authors. Increasing the variety of your child’s reading will help them understand different styles, tones and purposes. Meanwhile, reading a little every day will help widen their vocabulary, sharpen their analytical thinking, and enhance their imagination.
Refine exam technique
When your child feels confident with the topics they’ve learnt in Year 5, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test.
Practice tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and build confidence working under test conditions. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning and highlight knowledge gaps for further improvement.
With Atom Home, you'll unlock online mock tests and printable practice papers. Enjoy automatic marking and progress tracking with the online tests, and help your child get familiar with the real exam experience with printable practice papers.
Celebrate progress
Setting regular, achievable goals and celebrating your child’s progress – no matter how big or small – will help keep their motivation high.
Make sure to encourage a growth mindset. This means celebrating effort, as well as achievement! When your child makes mistakes or struggles to understand a particular topic, help them understand that they’ll improve through practice. Regular praise will help your child improve their resilience when tackling new and challenging topics.
Practice papers and online learning for the Medway Test
Wish you could give your child a roadmap to success in the Medway Test? You can. Atom Home has everything you need to get prepared, in one package.
You don't need a tutor to get into your top-choice grammar school. You just need Atom. We’ll create a tailored plan for your child and support them along their fun revision journey.
Download unlimited 11+ practice papers for all your target schools
Take unlimited online 11+ mock tests (all automatically-marked!)
Learn with over 100,000 questions in English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning
See your child's progress at a glance, including their standardised age score and performance in every topic!
Start your 11+ journey
We've helped over 31,000 families prepare for grammar school exams. See why families love using Atom and get started for free today.
Contents