Atom Learning is partnered with The Rochester Grammar School. You can read more about our partnership here.
Applying to The Rochester Grammar School for September 2028? This guide covers the Medway Test, the qualifying score, how the 205 Year 7 places are allocated and the key dates for September 2028 entry.
The Rochester Grammar School 11+ at a glance
School type: girls' grammar school (boys join in the sixth form)
Number of places in Year 7: 205 (2027-entry figure — The Rochester Grammar School confirms each year's admission number in its determined arrangements, published the spring before entry.)
Qualifying score: No fixed pass mark. Medway Council ranks children from Medway maintained schools by weighted score and assesses roughly the top 26% as suitable for grammar school; children from other schools who reach the same score also qualify. For 2026 admissions the lowest qualifying score was 481.
11+ test:Medway Test (three papers: English, maths and reasoning)
Source: The Rochester Grammar School Admissions Policy 2027-28 (determined 5 February 2026). Last checked October 2026.
Key dates for September 2028 entry
Medway Council runs the Medway Test and confirms the exact dates in the spring before each cycle. The windows below follow the 2027-entry timetable: registration ran from Monday 18 May to Friday 12 June 2026, children at Medway schools sat the test on Tuesday 15 or Wednesday 16 September 2026 (others on Saturday 19 or Sunday 20 September 2026), and results came out on Wednesday 14 October 2026. We'll update this page as soon as the council publishes its 2028-entry dates.
Key dates for The Rochester Grammar School 11+ entry in September 2028, with expected windows where the school has not yet confirmed exact dates.
Date
What happens
Mid-May 2027
Medway Test registration expected to open
Mid-June 2027
Medway Test registration expected to close
Mid-September 2027
Medway Test: on weekdays at school for children at Medway schools, and at a test centre the following weekend for other children
Mid-October 2027
Medway Test results expected
Sunday 31 October 2027
National closing date for secondary school applications. Medway Council confirms its own closing date in its co-ordinated admissions scheme.
Wednesday 1 March 2028
National offer day for secondary school places
Worried about missing an important 11+ deadline?
Get grammar school reminders with the key dates for your target school delivered straight to your inbox.
The Rochester Grammar School is selective, so your child needs to sit the 11+ test to be considered for a place.
You register your child for the Medway Test with Medway Council, through its online Parent Portal, during the registration window. Registering for the test is separate from applying for a school place.
Once you have your child's result, you apply by naming The Rochester Grammar School on your common application form, which goes to your home local authority. Application deadline: Sunday 31 October 2027. This is the national closing date. Medway Council is a separate admissions authority from Kent and sets its own closing date in its co-ordinated admissions scheme, usually published the year before. For 2027 entry Medway kept the closing date on Saturday 31 October 2026, while Kent County Council moved its date to the following Monday. Treat 31 October as the date to work to, and check the council's scheme before you submit.
Reaching the qualifying score makes your child eligible, but it doesn't guarantee a place. If more qualifying children apply than there are places, the school uses its oversubscription criteria, set out further down this page.
What will my child be tested on?
The Medway Test is Medway's 11+. It is run by Medway Council and used only by the six Medway grammar schools, and the papers are written for the council by GL Assessment.
Your child sits three papers: English, maths and reasoning, with a break of at least 20 minutes between them. Each paper starts with a few practice questions that aren't marked. The reasoning paper is split into separately timed sections.
Raw scores are standardised for your child's age, then combined into a weighted total: English and maths count twice, reasoning counts once. There is no resit, and papers aren't remarked.
The table below shows what each paper covers.
The Medway Test papers for September 2028 entry: length and content of each paper.
Paper
Length
What it covers
English
30 minutes, after 5 minutes of practice questions
Comprehension, punctuation and grammar
Maths
50 minutes, after 2 minutes of practice questions
Maths
Reasoning
45 minutes in total: 20 minutes of spatial and non-verbal reasoning in four timed sections, and 25 minutes of verbal reasoning
Spatial, non-verbal and verbal reasoning
How are places allocated at The Rochester Grammar School?
If more children reach the qualifying standard than there are 205 Year 7 places, The Rochester Grammar School offers places in the order below. This order comes from the school's admissions policy for 2027-28. The school sets its 2028-entry policy separately, and we'll update this table if anything changes.
The Rochester Grammar School oversubscription criteria in priority order, from the 2027-28 admissions policy.
Priority
Who it covers
1
Looked after and previously looked after children
2
Girls eligible for pupil premium: registered for free school meals now or at any point in the last six years, children of serving or recent ex-regular armed forces personnel, or children receiving a forces bereavement pension. You need to return the school's Supplementary Information Form by 31 October 2026
3
Girls with a sister (including half, step or adopted siblings, or children of cohabiting parents in the same household) at the school when they start
4
Girls attending one of these Thinking Schools Academy Trust primary schools in Medway: New Horizons Children's Academy, The Gordon Children's Academy, All Faiths Children's Academy or Cedars Children's Academy
5
Children of staff employed for two years or more, or recruited to a post with a demonstrable skill shortage
6
Girls with a specific health reason for attending the school, backed by written evidence from a GP or hospital consultant
7
Girls who live closest to the school
No items found.
Does The Rochester Grammar School have a catchment area?
The Rochester Grammar School doesn't have a catchment area. The last criterion is distance, measured under Medway's co-ordinated admissions scheme.
If two or more girls live exactly the same distance away and are competing for the last place, the school offers places to all of them, going over its admission number. Twins and other multiple-birth siblings are treated the same way.
If you don't live close to the school, it's worth thinking about how your child will get there every day. How long will the journey take? What transport options are available? Will they be travelling independently or with support?
A longer or more complex journey can affect your child's daily routine, including how much time they have for homework, rest and after-school activities. It's a good idea to think about how manageable the school run will be and whether it will work for your family day to day.
How can I help my child prepare for the test?
The Medway Test can feel like a big milestone, but preparation doesn't have to be overwhelming. Here's how you can help your child prepare for test day.
Stay on track with a clear plan
One of the hardest parts of 11+ preparation is knowing what to focus on, when, and how to make steady progress without it taking over family life.
A clear, structured plan helps your child feel less overwhelmed and more in control. It ensures they build skills in the right order, cover everything they need, and avoid last-minute cramming.
Atom's exam plan makes this easier. Enter your child's exam date and target schools, and we'll create a personalised weekly plan tailored to the topics they'll be tested on. It shows them what to work on and when, adapts as they improve, and helps them build progress in a calm, manageable way — little and often.
That means less guesswork for you, less stress for them, and a clearer path all the way to exam day.
Build smart exam technique
As your child's knowledge grows, practice tests can help them feel more comfortable with the real exam format.
Atom's 11+ practice papers are built to match the format, timing and question styles of real 11+ exams. They're also unlimited — you can download the same paper again and again, and your child will get new questions each time. This helps them practise without repeating the same content.
We've made marking easy for you, too. Simply photograph your child's answer sheets and upload them to Atom. The papers are marked instantly, showing your child's standardised age score (SAS), where they're doing well, and what they should focus on next. You'll also learn how they compare to other children applying to the same school.
Encourage regular reading
Strong reading skills play a big role in 11+ preparation.
Encourage your child to read every day, even for just 10–15 minutes. The key is variety. Mix fiction and non-fiction, different genres, and a range of authors. This helps them become more confident in understanding tone, purpose, and meaning across different texts.
Over time, regular reading will:
broaden their vocabulary
improve comprehension and inference
build confidence in tackling unseen texts
And just as importantly, it can help them enjoy reading — not just see it as exam preparation.
Looking for inspiration? Atom's recommended reading lists have suggestions spanning fiction and non-fiction for Years 3–6.
Celebrate progress, not just scores
When you're supporting your child through 11+ preparation, what really matters is knowing they're moving in the right direction — not just how they scored on a single test.
Atom's progress tracking gives you a clear, simple picture of how your child is doing in each topic and the direction they're moving in. You can see where they're on track, where they might need more practice, and spot progress as it happens.
That makes it easier to give meaningful encouragement, keep motivation steady, and focus on what matters most: consistent improvement, not just one-off results.
No items found.
Take control of your child’s 11+ preparation.
Not sure if your child is on track for the grammar school 11+? You don’t need to guess what to cover or whether they’re ready. Atom shows you exactly what to practise each week and how they’re performing, so you can stay ahead of the process without the stress.
