Rochester Grammar School 11 plus guide

About The Rochester Grammar School

The Rochester Grammar School is a selective state school for girls with a mixed sixth form in Rochester, Kent, ranking within the top 100 grammar schools in the country. The school has been awarded bronze status as a Unicef Rights Respecting Committed School and has gained Level 2 Advanced Accreditation as a Thinking School for its commitment to helping students become lifelong learners.

Girls at The Rochester Grammar School study a traditional and academic curriculum, enriched with an enquiry-based study in Year 9. Students in the sixth form study the International Baccalaureate diploma programme (IB), which aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people. In 2022, the average diploma points awarded was 35.4 – equivalent to two A* grades and one A grade at A level.

The school has a strong house system, with all girls belonging to one of six houses named after eclectic and powerful women from a range of industries. House events take place throughout the school year, with competitions including sports and dance tournaments, art competitions and singing performances.

• Address: The Rochester Grammar School, Maidstone Road, Rochester, Kent ME1 3EL

• Local authority: Medway Council

• School type: girls' grammar with mixed sixth form

• Headteacher: Clare Brinklow

• Number of pupils: 1,200+

• National rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 64

• IB results: 35.4 average diploma points

• GCSE results: 63.7% 9–7

Key info for Year 7 admissions

• Admissions contact: [email protected], 03333 602120

• Number of places in Year 7: 205

• Open events: October

• 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 The Rochester Grammar School

The Rochester 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 daughter 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.

Once you've registered, you will receive a test invitation by the end of August. This will tell you where and when your child is due to sit the test.

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.

Supplementary information form

Children who qualify for the pupil premium may be prioritised for places at The Rochester Grammar School under its admission criteria. If your daughter is eligible, you will need to complete a supplementary information form (SIF) to indicate this. The supplementary information form is available within the appendix of the admissions arrangements.

2. Apply for school places

Your daughter's results will be sent to you 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 The Rochester 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 The Rochester 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 and 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 The Rochester Grammar School's admission criteria below.

The Rochester Grammar School admission criteria

There are 205 places available in Year 7 at The Rochester Grammar School. Children will be deemed either selective – and therefore eligible for a place – or non-selective based on their performance in the Medway Test.

Girls who have passed the Medway Test and have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which names the school will automatically be offered places, and the number of remaining places reduced accordingly. If the number of eligible children who apply to the school is greater than 205, places will be allocated in the following priority order:

1. Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children

2. Children eligible for pupil premium funding (supported with evidence in a supplementary information form)

3. Children who have a sibling attending The Rochester Grammar School

4. Children who attend any of the following primary schools in the Thinking Schools Academy Trust: New Horizons Children's Academy, The Gordon Children's Academy, All Faiths Children's Academy and Cedars Children's Academy

5. Daughters of staff employed by The Rochester Grammar School

6. Children who have a specific health reason for attending the school, supported by written medical evidence

7. Children who live closest to the school, based on the shortest distance from their address to the school site

If the school reaches the full 205 places and becomes oversubscribed within any of these criteria, places will be allocated on the basis of distance. Children who live closest to the school, measured by the shortest available safe walking route, will be offered places.

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