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Essential Information (Medway Grammar Schools) || Grammar Schools in Medway, Kent
How many grammar schools are there in Medway, Kent?
There are 6 grammar schools in the Medway area in Kent. There is also one partially selective school: The Howard School.
Chatham Grammar School for Girls: Admissions Page
Fort Pitt Grammar School: Admissions Page
Holcombe Grammar School: Admissions Page
Rainham Mark Grammar School: Admissions Page
Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School: Admissions Page
The Howard School (this is a bilateral school): Admissions Page
The Rochester Grammar School: Admissions Page
In terms of admissions, the critera differs from school to school.
How are Admissions Decided in Medway, Kent:
How admissions in Medway, Kent are decided is as follows:
How far you live from the school (primary criterion)
Score achieved in 11+ tests (over-subscription criterion)
Parents should check the admissions policy of each school. Do this before deciding on your Common Application Form rank order.
What does the School Admissions Code say?
The School Admissions Code came into effect in 2012. It states that schools must take reasonable steps to inform parents of test outcomes. This must be done before the Common Application Form deadline - this is on October 31st.
Before moving on, we'd quickly like to introduce ourselves!
We are tutors specialising in 11-plus entrance exams. We also understand the level of academic aptitude that top Kent grammar schools expect from 11-plus candidates. It can be very competitive to get in to the following schools!
By the way, feel free to get in touch with us if you have any concerns about admissions to a specific grammar school in the UK.
11-Plus Exam Procedure for Grammar Schools in Medway, Kent
Children take the test at their own Medway primary school
If you live out of the area, you can take the 11-plus exam at an independent exam centre
If your shcool has opted not to run the 11-plus exams, you can also appy to do this at an independent exam centre
The Medway test is used only for Medway grammar schools
The Kent test is only used to grammar schools in Kent
The results from the Kent test are now non-transferrable to the Medway area (and vice versa)
Only grammar schools in Chatham continue to accept children who pass either the Kent test or Medway test
Medway Grammar School Admissions Information
Test Types
Mathematics
English (extended writing which is usually a 50min task - 40min work + 10min planning)
Verbal Reasoning
Test Format
1. Multiple choice
2. Writing
Examiners
CEM
Previous Years Pass Mark
A child passes the Medway exam if they exceed the 23rd percentile of the Medway cohort. Qualifying marks in previous years are as follows:
2018 - 495
2019 - 492
2020 - 490
2021 - 483
Is it a standardised score?
Yes
How is the pass mark calculated for the Medway 11+ exam?
The pass mark in Medway is calculated like so:
Scores are standardardised
The minimum score is 70
The maximum score is 140
The test scores will be weighted
How is the 11+ exam weighted in the Medway exam?
Verbal reasoning test is given a weighting of 1
Maths is given a weighting of 2 (the standardised score is doubled)
Extended Writing is given a weighting of 2 (the standardised score is doubled)
This means 20% of the mark is verbal reasoning, 40% is for Maths and other 40% is for the English task
This means the minimum weighted mark is 350 (70 for verbal reasoning, 140 for Maths and 140 for English).
The maximum weighted mark is therefore 700 (140 for verbal reasoning, 280 for Maths and 280 for English).
A child will pass the Medway 11+ exam if their final weighted score exceeds the 23rd percentile of all exam applicants.
Breakdown of the exam score for the Medway 11+ exam
SUBJECT | STANDARDISED SCORE | WEIGHTED SCORE |
Verbal Reasoning | 92 | 92 |
Maths | 103 | 206 |
English (Extended Writing) | 110 | 220 |
TOTAL SCORE | 305 | 518 |
How will I get my 11-plus results?
This will be posted by letter or by email (depends on if you registered online)
Admissions
Tel: 01634 331110
Email: admissions@medway.gov.uk
Find more information in the Medway Council Website
Appealing the decision
If your child doesn't achieve the minimum score required by the Medway 11+, don't worry! You have two options in this case:
Apply for a review of your child's case
Appeal against the decision
When you apply for a review, you will be requesting that the assessment decision is reconsidered. This will have to be at an academic review.
You will likely need samples of work from the previous 2 terms of year 5 and first term of year 6. Maths (problem solving), English (creative writing) and Science (investigation) will likely be requested.
You will usually have to put in your request by the first or second week of October (please check this as this could change year to year). A review should take place within a couple of weeks of putting in your request and should be posted to you by the end of October.
If you applied for a review and it was not successful, then you can only apply for an appeal if the review procedure was not followed properly in some way e.g. a technical fault in the process.
Here is a quote from the Medway admissions brochure. Should you wish for a review or appeal, this information should help you.
Review "Where a child does not achieve the minimum score required, parents/carers can ask for the assessment decision to be reconsidered at an academic review. For each review case, samples of work from the last two terms of Year 5 and the first term of Year 6 will be requested from the child’s current school in the following areas: English, Maths and Science.
A series of panels will consider all review requests. The review panels are made up of senior representatives from Medway grammar schools and Medway primary/junior schools. The review process will identify a number of children (usually equivalent to up to 2% of the Medway cohort) who will then be assessed as suitable for admission to a Medway grammar school.
For 2015 entry, out of 146 applicants, 30 were successful. In 2014, 36 were successful out of 239 applicants. If they wish to request a review, parents/carers must submit the request (using the form provided with the assessment decision letter) by the deadline date. Primary/junior schools will be requested to submit review work by 10am on the published date.
Review decisions will be sent to parents/carers by letter on the published date (as shown above). No review decisions are sent via e-mail.
Appeals Parents/carers must submit any appeal request by [30th March 2015]. At this stage parents/carers can only appeal for the schools that they originally named on their application form.
To ensure that the process is made easier for parents/carers, a standard appeal form for any school they named will be included with the offer letter (for those schools/academies that have agreed to use such a form). Appeal requests for Academies, Foundation and VA schools must be lodged with the Clerk of the Governors at the relevant school/academy."
Chances of appeals being approved
The table below may serve as a probability indicator should you wish to pursue an appeal.
The likelihood based on the data below seems to range between 31% and 47% for grammar schools, but this is only of limited use and could change year to year.
| Appeals in 2014 | % approved in 2014 | Appeals in 2015 | % approved in 2015 | Appeals in 2016 | % approved in 2016 |
Non-selective schools | 122 | 27% | 178 | 34% | 79 | 60% |
Selective schools e.g. grammar schools | 226 | 47% | 245 | 40% | 300 | 31% |
DISCLAIMER:
Information on this webpage is believed to be correct at time of writing. This could change at any time. Please make us aware of any mistakes by contacting us via the contact page.
We kindly advise that you please check the information you have read here is still up to date before pursuing an application to your school.