Know exactly where your child stands for The Howard School
Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact The Howard 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 The Howard School 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
The Howard School
The Howard School is a boys' bilateral school in Rainham, offering a grammar stream via the Medway 11+ exam. The 11+ uses the GL exam board and does not include an interview stage. Priority is given to boys within its defined access area, then to those living nearest the school.
If you want your son in a school that holds firm boundaries and clearly cares about the boy behind the grades, The Howard School on Derwent Way in Rainham is worth a close look. It takes boys from eleven to sixteen, with a sixth form that girls join too, and it works as a bilateral school. That means two routes in: a grammar stream for boys who sit the Medway eleven-plus and are suited to that pace, alongside non-selective places offered through Medway's usual secondary process. The school grew out of a 1975 coming-together of Rainham Boys' Secondary and Gillingham Boys' Grammar, and it still carries that mix today, setting out to give every boy a solid academic grounding and the room to grow as a person.
What parents tend to notice is the warmth underneath the discipline. The Howard is the only secondary in Kent or Medway to hold the UNICEF Rights Respecting Gold Award, which puts children's rights at the centre of how it plans and behaves, and pastoral care is treated as a real strength rather than a slogan. Day to day, expectations are clear and steady, and there is a genuine range of clubs, sport, music and trips, from cricket and the House Championship to international visits, so a boy can find his thing and stick with it.
Led by principal Mr Johal and part of The Howard Academy Trust, it suits a boy who does well with structure and encouragement in equal measure, and who will take up what is offered rather than coast. Many staff have chosen The Howard for their own sons, which tells you something. It will suit a family who wants a caring, ordered school close to home where their boy is known, supported and expected to do his best.
Key facts
Admissions
Admissions contact
office@thehowardschool.co.uk
Admissions phone
01634 388765
Registration form
https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200137/schools_and_learning/1049/medway_test_11/2
Sibling policy
What this school tests
Medway Test
English
- Punctuation
- Reading Comprehension - Comparison
- Reading Comprehension - Evaluation
- Reading Comprehension - Grammar and punctuation
- Reading Comprehension - Inference and Deduction
- Reading Comprehension - Information Retrieval
- Reading Comprehension - Language Techniques and Imagery
- Reading Comprehension - Sentence-level Comprehension
- Reading Comprehension - Sequencing
- Reading Comprehension - Structure, Form, Voice and Tone
- Reading Comprehension - Summarising
- Reading Comprehension - Text Classification and Purpose
- Reading Comprehension - Types of Words and Phrases
- Reading Comprehension - Word Meaning / Choice
- Sentence Completion
Maths
- Algebra
- Angles and Degrees
- BIDMAS
- Coordinate Grids
- Estimation and Rounding
- Factors and Multiples
- Fractions, Decimals and Percentages
- Magic squares
- Measurement
- Money
- Number and Place Value
- Number Walls
- Operations
- Perimeter, Area and Volume
- Position and Direction
- Properties of Shapes
- Ratio and Proportion
- Reflection, Rotation and Symmetry
- Sequences
- Special Numbers
- Speed, Distance and Time
- Statistics
- Time
Non-verbal Reasoning
- Extended Figure Series
- Figure Analogies
- Figure Matrices
- Figure Operations
- Figure Series
- Grid Matrices
- Horizontal Codes
- Most Like Three Figures
- Most Like Two Figures
- Odd Figure Out
- Star Matrices
- Triangle Matrices
- Triangle Series
- Vertical Codes
Spatial Reasoning
- 2D Rotations
- Block Counting
- Combining Shapes
- Fold and Punch
- Folding Cubes
- Hidden Shapes
- Missing Face of Cube
- Shape Completion
Verbal Reasoning
- Anagrams
- Compound Words
- Embedded Words
- Form a Word
- Insert a Letter
- Letter Analogies
- Letter Calculations
- Letter Codes
- Letter Grids
- Letter Sequences
- Move 1 / 2 Letters
- Number Analogies
- Number Calculations
- Number Sequences
- Related Words
- Rhyming Synonyms
- Shuffled Sentences
- Synonyms
- Word / Logic Puzzles
- Word Analogies
- Word Completion
- Word Match
- Word Opposites
- Word Pairs
- Word Relationships
- Words and Codes
Catchment area
Does The Howard School have a catchment area?
The Howard School gives priority to children living within its defined access area, then to those living nearest the school. Places are allocated through Medway Council's coordinated secondary admissions process.
Selection review and safety net
Previous exam results
GCSE results
In 2025 students achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 45.2 across their GCSEs. 33% gained a grade 5 or better in both English and Maths. 5.9% achieved the English Baccalaureate at grade 5 or above.
Reference: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/
A-level results
In 2025 students achieved a D+ average grade per A-Level entry. 0% gained AAB or better including two facilitating subjects.
Reference: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/
Frequently asked questions
What exam board does The Howard School use for the 11+?
The Howard School uses the GL exam board for its 11+ grammar stream entry.
Does The Howard School interview as part of the 11+?
No, there is no interview stage for the 11+ admissions process at The Howard School.
Is The Howard School co-educational or single-sex?
The Howard School is a single-sex school for boys aged 11-16, with a co-educational Sixth Form.
Does The Howard School have a catchment area for 11+ entry?
Yes, The Howard School gives priority to children living within its defined access area, then to those living nearest the school.
What is The Howard School's official website?
The official website for The Howard School is https://www.thehoward-that.org.uk/.
How does The Howard School manage its admissions?
The Howard School operates as a bilateral school, offering a grammar stream via the Medway 11+ and non-selective places through Medway Council's coordinated secondary admissions process.
Location
https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d2491.198071939686!2d0.5932039000000001!3d51.36265530000001!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x47d8cd1c313890ef%3A0xa618258e5bbe8a4e!2sThe%20Howard%20School!5e0!3m2!1sen!2suk!4v1780593613781!5m2!1sen!2suk
