The Howard School
Derwent Way, Gillingham, ME8 0BX
1,471 pupils · 85% of 1,725 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11–18
- Gender
- Boys
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- THE HOWARD ACADEMY TRUST
- Local authority
- Medway
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Free school meals
- 23.8%
Ofsted
Strong standard (2026) — Report card — the most common grade across the inspected areas
| Inclusion | Strong standard |
|---|---|
| Curriculum and teaching | Strong standard |
| Achievement | Expected standard |
| Attendance and behaviour | Strong standard |
| Personal development and wellbeing | Exceptional |
| Leadership and governance | Strong standard |
| Post-16 | Expected standard |
| Safeguarding | Met |
Inspected 24 February 2026, published 18 June 2026. 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 | 45.2 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 33% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 64.1% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 28.9% |
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?
Usually has places available — 0.94 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 243 | 229 | 523 | 243 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 246 | 241 | 577 | 246 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 250 | 222 | 516 | 250 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 235 | 176 | 451 | 230 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 277 | 166 | 416 | 216 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 302 | 222 | 449 | 302 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 270 | 231 | 470 | 270 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 263 | 246 | 520 | 263 |
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
- Rainham School for Girls 0.1 km · Good — confirmed 2022 · previous system
- Rainham Mark Grammar School 0.8 km · Good (2022) · previous system
- Leigh Academy Rainham 2.2 km · Good (2024) · previous system
- The Robert Napier School 2.7 km · No overall grade (2024)
- Chatham Grammar 3.3 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- The Victory Academy 4.2 km · Good (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.