Rochester Independent College

Flexible study is the defining feature of Rochester Independent College. It began as a sixth form in 1984 and added Year 7 places in 2006, creating a co-educational route that now runs from the lower school through a sixth form serving students up to age 21. The college's informal, non-uniform setting is deliberately different from a single fixed timetable or one standard route through examinations.

Lower-school groups average eight students. English, mathematics and science sit alongside options such as Triple Science, Film, Music Technology, Graphic Design and Photography, with personal development and creative work treated as part of the experience. The small-group model allows the Years 7 to 11 programme to feel more individual than a large secondary setting.

Sixth-form students can choose A levels outside fixed option blocks, with two-year, one-year, fast-track and retake routes. No minimum GCSE grades are required for A levels, while a Director of Studies and subject specialists support applications for medicine, law, art schools and international study. That flexibility is central to the college's appeal for students whose educational route does not fit a standard pattern.

Boarding is available from age 13, with single rooms, resident staff, academic tutors and weekend activities. Year 7 applicants do not sit an entrance exam, but do complete a visit, interview and taster process; sixth-form entry considers school reports and GCSE results. Day and boarding routes therefore share the same adaptable academic model.