Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact Rochester Grammar School 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact Rochester Grammar School 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
If you have a bright, hard-working daughter who responds well to high expectations held with genuine warmth, The Rochester Grammar School is worth a close look. It is a selective grammar for girls in Medway, taking girls into Years 7 to 11 through the Medway 11+ and then opening its sixth form to boys as well. It is state-funded with no fees, part of the Thinking Schools Academy Trust, and it carries an unusual history: it was set up in 1888, when grammar education for girls was still a rare thing, and that founding sense of purpose still sits quietly behind the place.
The school sums up its approach as "excellence for all", and the Good Schools Guide reflects that grounded, practical character rather than the hothouse some parents fear. It is a busy, ambitious place where pupils are taught how to think, not just what to learn, through its Advanced Thinking School work. The Guide also notes the staying power of the principal, who earned her history degree over six years while working as senior cabin crew, a detail that says a good deal about the steady, get-on-with-it tone of the school. The broad sixth form keeps the older years full of choice and gives students a wider setting for their final two years before university.
Leadership has been in the hands of principal Clare Brinklow since 2017. What comes through most is a school that pushes its girls hard but holds that push alongside real support, so a daughter here is likely to feel both stretched and looked after.
Yes
The Rochester Grammar School doesn’t have a formally defined catchment area. However, as part of its oversubscription criteria, it will prioritise children who live closer to the school.
Rochester Grammar offers the International Baccalaureate rather than A-Levels at sixth form. In 2025 its post-16 students achieved a B average grade across their academic qualifications (38.99 points per entry).
Rochester Grammar School uses the GL 11+ exam for Year 7 entry.
No, Rochester Grammar School does not include an interview stage in its 11+ admissions process.
Rochester Grammar School is a selective grammar school for girls from Year 7 to 11. Its sixth form is open to both boys and girls.
The official website for Rochester Grammar School is https://www.rochestergrammar.org.uk/.
Rochester Grammar School does not have a formally defined catchment area. However, it prioritises children who live closer to the school in its oversubscription criteria.
Rochester Grammar School is a state-funded, selective grammar school for girls.
Your daughter first needs to be assessed as grammar ability through the Medway Test, as only selective applicants are considered. Places are then offered in priority order: looked-after and previously looked-after children first, then girls eligible for Pupil Premium (current Free School Meals first, then FSM in the last six years, then armed forces families), then siblings at the school, then girls at the trust's named Medway primary schools, then children of staff, then health reasons, and finally by distance. A girl with an EHC plan naming the school is admitted. There's no fixed pass mark; it depends on demand each year.
The Medway Test is run by Medway Council on the school's behalf rather than by the school itself, so arrangements for a missed test and any reasonable adjustments are handled through the council's testing process. The school's own admission policy doesn't set out a separate reserve-test procedure for a child who falls ill on test day. If that happens, contact Medway's admissions team and the school as early as you can to ask what options are open to your daughter.
