The Rochester Grammar School
Maidstone Road, Rochester, ME1 3BY
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Girls
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE THINKING SCHOOLS ACADEMY TRUST
- Principal
- Mrs Clare Brinklow
- Admissions policy
- Selective
- Sponsor
- The Thinking Schools Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Rochester and Strood
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,110
- Pupils on roll
- 1,206
- URN
- 136313
- Local authority
- Medway
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 03333602120
About this school
The Rochester Grammar School is a girls' secondary academy in Rochester. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,206 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Rochester Grammar School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 200 | 168 | 225 |
| Attainment 8 score | 71.6 | 71.6 | 68.4 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.83 +0.63 to +1.03 | +0.67 +0.45 to +0.89 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 99% | 97% | 92.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 100% | 100% | 99.1% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 98% | 90.5% | 93.8% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 6.9 | 6.9 | 6.5 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The Rochester Grammar School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Medway average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 71.6 | 34 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 71.6 | 36 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 68.4 | 36.1 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,182 |
| 2023/24 | 1,177 |
| 2024/25 | 1,171 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Rochester Grammar School compares
The Rochester Grammar School ranked 2nd of 18 secondary schools in Medway for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 97% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 68.4 | 4.4% | 11.7% | 1,206 | — |
| Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School | 69.5 | 3.7% | 10.8% | 1,555 | 0.1 miles |
| The Thomas Aveling School | 41.3 | 9.4% | 33.4% | 1,201 | 0.5 miles |
| St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School | 40 | 8.1% | 35.6% | 1,084 | 0.8 miles |
| Fort Pitt Grammar School | 65.9 | 6.2% | 14.9% | 1,009 | 0.8 miles |
| Holcombe Grammar School | 62.4 | 5.4% | 13.3% | 1,060 | 0.9 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 11.73%
- English as an additional language
- 22.6%
- Overall absence
- 4.42%
- Persistent absence
- 10.51%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School0.1 miles
Secondary · Rochester
-
The Thomas Aveling School0.5 miles
Secondary · Rochester
-
St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School0.8 miles
Secondary · Rochester
-
Fort Pitt Grammar School0.8 miles
Secondary · Chatham
-
Holcombe Grammar School0.9 miles
Secondary · Chatham
Other schools in Rochester
The Rochester Grammar School ranks 2nd of the 6 ranked secondary schools in Rochester.
- Leigh Academy Strood Secondary
- Maritime Academy Secondary
- Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School Secondary
- St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School Secondary
- The Thomas Aveling School Secondary
- All Faiths Children's Academy Primary
- Balfour Infant School Primary
- Bligh Primary School (Infants) Primary
- Bligh Primary School (Juniors) Primary
- Burham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Cedar Children's Academy Primary
- Chattenden Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does The Rochester Grammar School teach?
- The Rochester Grammar School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Rochester.
- Who is the principal of The Rochester Grammar School?
- The principal of The Rochester Grammar School is Mrs Clare Brinklow, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Rochester Grammar School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Rochester Grammar School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at The Rochester Grammar School?
- The Rochester Grammar School has 1,206 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is The Rochester Grammar School full?
- The Rochester Grammar School has capacity for 1,110 pupils and 1,206 on roll (109%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The Rochester Grammar School a faith school?
- No. The Rochester Grammar School has no designated religious character.
- Is The Rochester Grammar School a selective school?
- Yes. The Rochester Grammar School is recorded as Selective in the schools register, so entry involves selection.
- Is The Rochester Grammar School part of an academy trust?
- The Rochester Grammar School is part of THE THINKING SCHOOLS ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Rochester Grammar School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 71.6 in 2022/23 and 68.4 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Rochester Grammar School compare with other schools in Medway?
- The Rochester Grammar School ranked 2nd of 18 secondary schools in Medway for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 97% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Rochester Grammar School's absence rate?
- The Rochester Grammar School's overall absence rate is 4.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Rochester Grammar School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Rochester Grammar School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.