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Are you considering applying to Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School? We've collated all the information you need to know about 2024 entry to Year 7. Keep reading to learn about key dates, the admissions process, and tips to help your child succeed in the Medway Test.
About Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School
Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School (known locally as 'the Math') is a large boys' grammar school with a mixed sixth form in Rochester, Kent. It was founded in 1701 and specialised in the teaching of mathematics and navigation to the sons of Freemen of the City of Rochester, due to its close proximity to Chatham Naval Dockyard.
The school was one of the first 100 in the country to be designated a National Teaching School and takes a progressive approach to teaching and learning. Character traits are developed through a range of enrichment opportunities and school events, including the house system, Erasmus projects, academic challenges and charity fundraising.
Students leave Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School for a wide range of university destinations, apprenticeships and employment opportunities. In 2022, 30% of students secured places at Russell Group or Sutton Trust universities, of which 61% went on to study a maths or science-related degree.
Address: Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School, Maidstone Road, Rochester, Kent ME1 3EL
Local authority: Medway Council
School type: boys' grammar with mixed sixth form
Headteacher: Eliot Hodges
Number of pupils: 1,250+
National rank (Sunday Times Parent Power): 129
A level results: 80% A*–B
GCSE results: 56.2% 9–7
Key info for Year 7 admissions
Admissions contact: [email protected], 01634 844008
Number of places in Year 7: 203
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 2024
Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School term dates
The term dates at Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School for 2023–2024 are:
Autumn term: 1st September – 15th December 2023
Half term: 23rd October – 3rd November 2023
Spring term: 3rd January – 28th March 2024
Half term: 12th–16th February 2024
Summer term: 15th April – 19th July 2024
Half term: 27th–31st May 2024
How to apply to Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School
Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical 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.
By the end of August, you will receive a test invitation letting you know 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.
2. Apply for school places
You will receive your child's results in the Medway Test 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 Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical 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 Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical 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.
What's on the Medway Test?
Children applying to Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School will take the Medway Test in September in Year 6. The test consists of three papers:
Maths & non-verbal reasoning: 1 hour
Verbal reasoning: 1 hour
Extended writing: 40 minutes
The maths and reasoning papers are supplied by GL Assessment and consist of multiple-choice questions. The extended writing paper is supplied by Medway Council and will assess your child's ability to write a creative response to a prompt.
Medway Test exam guide
Find out more in our comprehensive guide to the Medway Test and get free 11 plus practice tests and resources to help your child prepare with confidence.
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 Chatham Grammar School's admission criteria below.
Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School admission criteria
Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School has 203 places available in Year 7. Boys will be deemed either selective – and therefore eligible for a place – or non-selective based on their performance in the Medway Test.
Children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which names the school, and who have been assessed as selective in the Medway Test, will automatically be allocated places. If the remaining number of places is less than the number of eligible children who have applied for the school, oversubscription criteria will be used to allocate places in priority order:
Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children
Children who have a sibling attending Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School
Children who have a specific health reason, supported by medical evidence, for attending the school
Children who have a parent employed by Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School
Nearness of children's homes to the school, calculated by the shortest safe walking route
Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School catchment area
There is no defined catchment area for the school. However, how far the child lives from the school will be key in determining how likely they are to be offered a place, as distance is the most frequently applied out of the oversubscription criteria listed above.
Here are the furthest distances at which children have been offered places at the school in the last 10 years:
3.51 miles
How to help your child prepare for the 11 plus
Here are our top tips on how to best prepare your child for the Medway Test.
Cover all the content
The 11 plus assesses a large breadth and depth of learning objectives across the Key Stage 2 national curriculum and beyond.
We recommend that your child starts revising content at least one year before the test. Setting aside study periods using a 'little and often' approach will give them time to build the skills and knowledge they need. When preparing, avoid falling into the trap of over-focusing on either the topics your child enjoys or the topics they find hardest.
Atom Nucleus is an 11 plus online course that tailors your child's personalised learning journey to cover all elements of the Medway Test at the right pace for them.
No surprises
Your child will encounter lots of unfamiliar types of questions in the 11 plus exam. Building exam technique with 11 plus test papers will help your child to feel fully confident with the styles of questions they'll encounter in the exam, reducing the potential for stress on the day.
Celebrate their progress
Setting regular goals and celebrating achievements will help keep motivation high. Atom Nucleus offers data-driven insights into your child’s progress towards mastering the 11 plus curriculum, making it easy to see where they need to focus next.
Personalised 11 plus prep for your child
Wondering how to make sure your child covers the depth and breadth of the entire 11 plus curriculum, stays on track with their progress, and gets help when they're stuck? Online learning is a particularly efficient, cost-effective (and fun) way to do this!
Atom Nucleus is the award-winning online 11 plus practice platform that gives your child everything they need to prepare for grammar school exams.
Children work independently through over 90,000 interactive practice questions in English, maths and reasoning. Teacher-created helpsheets and videos help them discover new concepts and consolidate their learning.
Atom's algorithm keeps children on their ideal learning path, tailored to their unique learning style and pace to keep them challenged and motivated.
Medway Test practice papers
Atom Nucleus gives children access to online 11 plus practice papers. Our online tests are designed to mirror the format and style of the real Medway Test, so your child will go into the exam knowing exactly what to expect.
And what's more, everything is automatically marked for you.
Try Atom Nucleus free for 5 days
Begin your child's journey to Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School today. Use the full features of Atom Nucleus free for 5 days – cancel anytime.
Personalised 11 plus support for you
We know how keen you are for your child to do well in the 11 plus, to give them every chance of securing a place at their school of choice. Our dedicated team of Education Experts are on hand to support you and your family every step of the way:
Ask us anything
We're happy to help with any questions you may have about admissions processes and helping your child prepare for entry to Medway grammar schools.
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