Gillingham School
Hardings Lane, Gillingham, SP8 4QP
1,684 pupils · 91% of 1,850 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 11–18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Free school meals
- 20.4%
Ofsted
Good (2023) — Rated under the pre-September 2024 inspection system
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 10 May 2023, published 4 July 2023. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 42.7 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 42.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 62.1% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 64% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 1.07 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 265 | 284 | 369 | 265 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 253 | 244 | 320 | 253 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 264 | 265 | 369 | 264 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 252 | 247 | 349 | 251 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 280 | 277 | 359 | 280 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 272 | 273 | 364 | 272 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 270 | 267 | 360 | 270 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 277 | 314 | 407 | 277 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Shaftesbury School 6.9 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- King Arthur's School 11.1 km · No overall grade (2025)
- Sturminster Newton High School 11.8 km · Most areas: Expected standard (2026)
- Sexey's School 15.6 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Ansford Academy 18.3 km · Most areas: Expected standard (2026)
- The Gryphon School 19.5 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.