A selective co-educational grammar school in Gillingham, Kent, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,551 pupils on roll.
Rainham Mark Grammar School
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At a glance
Rainham Mark Grammar School is a large co-educational 11-18 selective grammar school on Pump Lane in Rainham, with about 1,551 pupils and membership of Rainham Mark Education Trust. Its vision page gives the school a clear moral vocabulary: aspiration, respect, curiosity and happiness. The aim is to nurture young people who are ambitious, respectful of the world around them and able to make positive contributions locally and globally.
The curriculum breadth is visible in the school menu, with art, business, computer science, design and technology, drama, economics, film studies, law, politics, psychology, sociology, music, PE, science, humanities, English, mathematics and languages all present across the learning pages. RMGS also names reading, PSHE, equality, careers, SEND, safeguarding and pastoral care as part of its everyday structure.
Co-curricular life is not treated as decoration. The school publishes clubs for 2025-2026, student leadership, house colours, personal development, alumni, awards, drama and library provision, and the sixth form has its own application process, entry requirements, prospectus, bursary, UCAS and apprenticeship information. For a large Medway grammar, that gives the school a broad civic and careers-facing character.
Year 7 entry has 235 places and runs through the Medway selective admissions process. The Medway Test includes English, mathematics and reasoning; English and mathematics are double-weighted, reasoning is single-weighted and scores are adjusted for age. Offers then follow the school's published admission arrangements. Published measures include Ofsted Good, +0.28 Progress 8, 93.7% grade 5+ in English and maths and 15.4% AAB or better at A level.
Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Medway and England.
Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Medway and England.
Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Medway and England.
January 2025 school census
Whole-school roll of 1,551 pupils; 1,545 had a recorded ethnic group.
| Recorded group | Share | Category | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| White British | 63.8% | White | 990 |
| African | 8.6% | Black | 134 |
| Indian | 6.3% | Asian | 97 |
| Any other mixed background | 5.9% | Mixed | 92 |
| Any other White background | 3.4% | White | 53 |
| Any other Asian background | 2.5% | Asian | 39 |
| White and Asian | 2% | Mixed | 31 |
| White and Black African | 1.2% | Mixed | 19 |
| Bangladeshi | 1% | Asian | 15 |
| Pakistani | 1% | Asian | 15 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 0.8% | Mixed | 13 |
| Any other ethnic group | 0.8% | Other | 12 |
| Any other Black background | 0.7% | Black | 11 |
| Chinese | 0.7% | Asian | 11 |
| Caribbean | 0.6% | Black | 9 |
| Unclassified | 0.4% | Unclassified | 6 |
| Irish | 0.3% | White | 4 |
There are 235 Year 7 places. Applicants must be assessed selective through the Medway Test; if preferences exceed places, the school applies the published priority order and Medway GIS distance rule.
There is no catchment area. Selective applicants are ordered through the published priority criteria, with the shortest available route from home to school measured by Medway Council GIS used as the final criterion and tie-break.
Looked-after and previously looked-after children
Selective applicants in local-authority care, previously in care, internationally adopted, or regarded as previously in state care outside England are prioritised first.
Pupil Premium or Free School Meals
Selective applicants receiving Pupil Premium or Free School Meals are prioritised when the supplementary information form is returned to the school by 31 October in the application year.
Current family association
Applicants with a brother or sister attending the school at the time of entry are prioritised next.
Health and special access reasons
Priority can apply where professional evidence shows a demonstrable and significant need for this school.
Children of staff
Priority applies where a parent is a qualifying member of staff under the published policy.
Nearness to school
Remaining places are ordered by the shortest available route between home and school as measured by Medway Council GIS; random allocation is used if the final tie cannot otherwise be separated.
Year 7 applicants must be assessed selective through the Medway Test before Rainham Mark’s oversubscription criteria apply.
Shared exam route
Rainham Mark Grammar School uses the shared Medway Test route. Use these common practice resources for the route, then check the full consortium guide for the complete set and current test guidance.
View all Medway Test practice papersPaper 1
English
English paper
English paper covering reading, punctuation and grammar.
Paper 2
Maths
Mathematics paper
Mathematics paper.
Paper 3
Verbal reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning
Reasoning paper
Reasoning paper covering verbal, spatial and non-verbal reasoning.
English, Maths, Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning are included in the published format.
Science is not listed in the current published format.
English
Maths
Verbal reasoning
Reasoning paper covering verbal, spatial and non-verbal reasoning.
Non-verbal reasoning
Reasoning paper covering verbal, spatial and non-verbal reasoning.
Science
Medway Test registration opens
18 May 2026, 9am
PastMedway Test registration closes
12 June 2026, 5pm
Special arrangements requests deadline
22 June 2026
Secondary applications open
1 September 2026
Medway primary/junior school test dates
Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 September 2026
Non-Medway school test date
Saturday 19 or Sunday 20 September 2026
Medway Test results
14 October 2026
Secondary application deadline
31 October 2026
Offers sent
1 March 2027
Offer response and waiting-list request deadline
12 March 2027
On-time appeal request deadline
13 April 2027
Reallocation and late applications
19 April 2027
End of admissions process and waiting lists close
31 August 2027
Read the admission arrangements
Check the admission arrangements before applying so the Medway selective process and oversubscription rules are clear.
Open policyRegister for the Medway Test
Register for the Medway Test through Medway Council by the deadline for the relevant entry year.
Open Medway TestSit the Medway Test
Selection for Year 7 grammar places is based on the Medway Test result.
Open Medway TestSubmit the secondary application
List the school on the secondary school application by the Medway deadline.
Open admissions pageLatest official destinations data currently covers 2022/23 study leavers.
Recent trend
This follows the school's published overall GCSE score across the subjects pupils take. Higher is better.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 67.4 | 74.2 | 49.4 |
| 2022/23 | 62.6 | 71.8 | 47.0 |
| 2023/24 | 63.4 | 72.1 | 46.7 |
| 2024/25 | 62.7 | 72.3 | 46.8 |
Recent trend
This follows the published average A-level result for the school's sixth form. Higher is better.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | B average (41.3 points) | 44.0 points | 37.5 points |
| 2022/23 | B average (38.5 points) | 40.5 points | 33.7 points |
| 2023/24 | B average (39.1 points) | 41.3 points | 34.5 points |
| 2024/25 | B- average (36.6 points) | 41.8 points | 35.0 points |
Recent trend
This follows the share of pupils moving into a sustained destination after Year 11, such as education, apprenticeships, or employment.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 97% | 99.1% | 94.1% |
| 2022/23 | 97% | 98.9% | 93.9% |
| 2023/24 | 98% | 99.0% | 93.3% |
| 2024/25 | 98% | 98.7% | 91.8% |
Latest year breakdown
| In education | 93% |
|---|---|
| In apprenticeships | 2% |
| In employment | 2% |
Latest inspection: 25 May 2022
Local rivals appear first, followed by nearby alternatives where the journey and admissions route are still comparable.
Nearby South East option with a similar admissions route
Same wider selective region and a similar admissions route
Same wider selective region and a similar admissions route
Same wider selective region and a similar admissions route
Closest comparable alternatives with a similar academic profile, so parents can weigh local fit and results together.
Nearby option with similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Nearby option with similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
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Best Grammar Schools in the UK
Explore the best grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking that can be filtered by county, school type, and Ofsted before moving into local admissions detail.
Best Grammar Schools by A-level Results
Explore the best grammar schools by A-level results in the UK, ranked by the published share of students achieving AAB or better at A level.
Related guides are still being added.
FAQ
Rainham Mark Grammar School currently uses GL Assessment.
1. Read the admission arrangements: Check the admission arrangements before applying so the Medway selective process and oversubscription rules are clear. 2. Register for the Medway Test: Register for the Medway Test through Medway Council by the deadline for the relevant entry year. 3. Sit the Medway Test: Selection for Year 7 grammar places is based on the Medway Test result. 4. Submit the secondary application: List the school on the secondary school application by the Medway deadline.
Medway Test registration opens: 18 May 2026, 9am. Medway Test registration closes: 12 June 2026, 5pm. Special arrangements requests deadline: 22 June 2026. Secondary applications open: 1 September 2026. Medway primary/junior school test dates: Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 September 2026. Non-Medway school test date: Saturday 19 or Sunday 20 September 2026. Medway Test results: 14 October 2026. Secondary application deadline: 31 October 2026. Offers sent: 1 March 2027. Offer response and waiting-list request deadline: 12 March 2027. On-time appeal request deadline: 13 April 2027. Reallocation and late applications: 19 April 2027. End of admissions process and waiting lists close: 31 August 2027
Rainham Mark Grammar School is currently rated Good following the latest published inspection dated 25 May 2022.