- Grammar school for boys and girls
- Medway 11+
Holcombe Grammar School: 11+ entry
Holcombe, Letchworth Avenue, Chatham, Kent ME4 6JB
Facts checked 19 October 2026By ExamKind Editorial TeamSchool website
Some details are being re-checked
We check every fact against the official source on a schedule, and some details on this page are due their next check (last verified 19 October 2026). We'll update the page if anything has changed. How we check facts
Can we apply, and what did it take?
For September 2027 entry
Opens a short explanationqualifying scoreThe score a child must reach to be considered for a grammar school place in that area. Reaching it is not an offer of a place: places then follow each school’s admission rules.
478or more
Medway Test (GL Assessment, written for Medway Council), 2027 entry
Checked, source: Medway Council, checkedYear 7 places
180
2027 entry, Published Admission Number ()Opens a short explanationPANPublished Admission NumberThe number of places a school offers in its first year group, for example Year 7. The admission authority sets it each year in the school’s admission policy.
Checked, source: Holcombe Grammar School, checkedOpens a short explanationfurthest distance offeredHow far from the school the last child offered a place under the distance rule lived, in one year. It changes every year with the number of children who apply, so it is history, not a promise.
22.96miles
2026 entry
Checked, source: Holcombe Grammar School, checked
Your next deadlines
Next: School place applications close: Common Application Form ()Opens a short explanationCAFCommon Application FormThe form you use to apply for a secondary school place. You send it to your own council, even for schools in another area, and you list the schools you want in order of preference. In England it closes on 31 October.
in 11 days
Coming up: Appeal deadline
in 25 weeks
Can we get in?
How far offers reached
Each bar shows how far from Holcombe Grammar School the last child offered a place lived, under the last admission rule the offers reached. Up to five years, on one scale.
Qualifying is not the same as being offered a place.
A score of 478 or more in the Medway Test (GL Assessment, written for Medway Council) means your child can be considered. If more children qualify than there are places, the school gives places using its admission rules, in order. The figures below show how far those rules reached in past years. They are history, not a prediction: they change every year with who applies.
Distance from home to school, in miles
- National Offer Day
- 2027 entryNot known yetOffers are made on Monday 1 March 2027
- 2026 entryRound not stated
Offers went to children living up to 36,952.99 metres (about 22.96 miles) away.
We have not checked how this school measures distance yet. Councils usually measure from your exact address.
Source: Holcombe Grammar School, checkedWhat the words mean
- National Offer Day:
- the first offers, made on 1 March (or the next working day).
- Final:
- how far offers had reached later, after places were offered from the waiting list.
- Admission rule:
- schools give places rule by rule, in order. The distance is only how far the last rule reached.
- N/A or “All offered”:
- no distance was needed to decide places under that rule, for example because everyone who applied under it got a place.
- No figure published:
- nobody published a figure for that year, or we have not checked one yet. We never fill a gap with a guess.
Other published figures
- 2026 entry: Total applications: 969
- 2026 entry: Total offers: 180
Source: Holcombe Grammar School, checked
Applications and offers, September 2026 entry (Department for Education)
How many families applied to Holcombe Grammar School and how many places it offered. Applicants per place is all applications divided by offers. Families apply to several schools and not every applicant qualifies, so it is not the chance of a place.
| Figure | Department for Education |
|---|---|
| First-preference applications | 137First-preference applications, 2026 entryChecked 16 Oct 2026 against Department for Education (Explore Education Statistics).The source says: 202627,Academic year,School,E92000001,England,E12000008,South East,887,E06000035,Medway,Secondary,8874068,z,6,Holcombe Grammar School,179,179,87,37,21,968,137,218,217,1.5747126436781609,0.7653631284916201,191,94,Academy converter,No religious character,12.9,Selective,Urban: Nearer to a major town or city,No,E14001157,Chatham and Aylesford,136594,7View the official source |
| All applications (any preference) | 968All applications (any preference), 2026 entryChecked 16 Oct 2026 against Department for Education (Explore Education Statistics).The source says: 202627,Academic year,School,E92000001,England,E12000008,South East,887,E06000035,Medway,Secondary,8874068,z,6,Holcombe Grammar School,179,179,87,37,21,968,137,218,217,1.5747126436781609,0.7653631284916201,191,94,Academy converter,No religious character,12.9,Selective,Urban: Nearer to a major town or city,No,E14001157,Chatham and Aylesford,136594,7View the official source |
| Places offered on National Offer Day | 179Places offered on National Offer Day, 2026 entryChecked 16 Oct 2026 against Department for Education (Explore Education Statistics).The source says: 202627,Academic year,School,E92000001,England,E12000008,South East,887,E06000035,Medway,Secondary,8874068,z,6,Holcombe Grammar School,179,179,87,37,21,968,137,218,217,1.5747126436781609,0.7653631284916201,191,94,Academy converter,No religious character,12.9,Selective,Urban: Nearer to a major town or city,No,E14001157,Chatham and Aylesford,136594,7View the official source |
| Applicants per place | 5.4Applicants per place, 2026 entryChecked 16 Oct 2026 against Department for Education (Explore Education Statistics).The source says: 202627,Academic year,School,E92000001,England,E12000008,South East,887,E06000035,Medway,Secondary,8874068,z,6,Holcombe Grammar School,179,179,87,37,21,968,137,218,217,1.5747126436781609,0.7653631284916201,191,94,Academy converter,No religious character,12.9,Selective,Urban: Nearer to a major town or city,No,E14001157,Chatham and Aylesford,136594,7View the official source |
Source: Department for Education (Explore Education Statistics), checked
About these figures
Past figures for Holcombe Grammar School, as published by the school or the council (a guide, not a promise):
At a glance
Holcombe Grammar School in brief
tap a value for its source
- Pupils
- mixedPupilsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Holcombe Grammar School.The source says:
Holcombe Grammar School is a co-educational school starting from 1st September 2026.
View the official source - Who the school admits.
- Supplementary Information Form (SIF)
- Not needed
- An extra form some schools ask for. It goes to the school, not the council.
- School type
- academySchool typeChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Holcombe Grammar School.The source says:
| Status | Academy (member of the Thinking Schools Academy Trust) |
View the official source - How the school is run and funded.
- Year 7 places
- 180Year 7 placesChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Holcombe Grammar School.The source says:
The school’s published admission number is 180.
View the official source2027 entry - The (PAN): how many children the school plans to admit.
- Entrance test
- Medway Test (GL Assessment, written for Medway Council)
- The test children sit to be considered. Written by GL Assessment.
- Opens a short explanationcatchmentAn area, set by a school or a council, where children get higher priority for a place. Living inside it is not an offer of a place. Not every school has a catchment.
- No catchment area
- Where children get priority. Living inside it does not by itself mean a place.
Key dates
Dates for September 2027 entry
For children in Year 6 in 2026/27.
Medway Council
4 earlier steps, all doneShow
Done: Test registration opens
Done: Test registration closes
Done: School place applications open (CAF)
Done: Results
Next: School place applications close (CAF)
in 11 days
Coming up: National Offer Day
Coming up: Appeal deadline
in 25 weeks
Not published yet: Test day
Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026
Year 5 now? Dates for September 2028 entryNone of these dates are published yet.
Not published yet: Test registration opens
Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026
Not published yet: Test registration closes
Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026
Not published yet: Test day
Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026
Not published yet: Results
Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026
Not published yet: School place applications close: Common Application Form (CAF)
Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026
Not published yet: National Offer Day
Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026
How places are given
6 admission rules, in order, for 2027 entry
If more children qualify than there are places, Holcombe Grammar School gives places using these rules (its Opens a short explanationoversubscription criteriaThe rules a school uses, in order, to decide who gets a place when more children apply than there are places. For example: children in care first, then brothers and sisters of pupils, then distance from home.), in this order (2027 entry).
- 1
Looked-after and previously looked-after children
The policy's own words
• 1st - Looked After Children and all children who have been previously looked after
- 2
Sibling at the school
The policy's own words
• 2nd - Children who, at the time of the admission, have a sibling who attends the Academy
- 3
Pupils at named Thinking Schools Academy Trust primaries in Medway
The policy's own words
• 3rd - Children who attend any of the following Thinking Schools' Academy Trust Medway primary schools
- 4
Children of staff
The policy's own words
• 4th - Children of staff employed by the Academy
- 5
Child's health reasons
The policy's own words
• 5th - Child's health reasons
- 6
Living closest to the school
The policy's own words
• 6th - Children who live closest to the school
Source: Holcombe Grammar School, checked
- Brothers and sisters
- Brothers and sisters of pupils at the school get priority.Source: Holcombe Grammar School, checked
- Supplementary form
- No supplementary form is needed; apply through your council's application form.Source: Holcombe Grammar School, checked
The admission rules for September 2028 entry are not published yet. We check the school's website and add them when they appear.
More detail from our guide
2027 entry. Status of Holcombe Grammar School's arrangements: determinedHolcombe Grammar School: Document status (2027)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Holcombe Grammar School.The source says: | Date of determination | 5th March 2026 |
View the official source.
Oversubscription rules, in order: (1) Looked-after and previously looked-after children. (2) Sibling at the school. (3) Pupils at named Thinking Schools Academy Trust primaries in Medway. (4) Children of staff. (5) Child's health reasons. (6) Living closest to the school.Holcombe Grammar School: Oversubscription criteria (2027)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Holcombe Grammar School.The source says: in the following priority o
View the official source
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Catchment or priority area | noneHolcombe Grammar School: Kind (2027)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Holcombe Grammar School.The source says: • 6th - Children who live closest to the schoolView the official source |
| How distance is measured | Not disclosed by the sourceHolcombe Grammar School: Method (2027)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Holcombe Grammar School.The source says: Distances will be measured as per the Medway Co-ordinated scheme.View the official source |
| Sibling priority | YesHolcombe Grammar School: Sibling priority (2027)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Holcombe Grammar School.The source says: • 2nd - Children who, at the time of the admission, have a sibling who attends the Academy (Holcombe Grammar School)View the official source |
| Children of staff | YesHolcombe Grammar School: Staff children priority (2027)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Holcombe Grammar School.The source says: • 4th - Children of staff employed by the Academy (Holcombe Grammar School)View the official source |
2028 entry: Holcombe Grammar School: Document status (2028)Not yet published by Holcombe Grammar School; last checked 9 Oct 2026.The source says: No 2028-entry arrangements published on the school site.
View the official source.
The test
Medway Test (GL Assessment, written for Medway Council)
- Test
- Medway Test (GL Assessment, written for Medway Council)
- Written by
- GL Assessment
- Test date, 2027 entry
- Not yet published
Holcombe Grammar School considers children assessed as grammar in the Medway Test (how it works).
Open days
All this year's events have passed
Done: Open mornings, Monday to Friday (passed)
9am
Source: Holcombe Grammar School, checked
If you are refused a place
Reviews, appeals and the waiting list
General information, not legal advice.
- How appeals work
- Appeals submitted to the school (from 1 March 2027)Source: Holcombe Grammar School, checked
General information, not legal advice.
You can appeal for a place at Holcombe Grammar School if you named it on your application. Medway on-time appeals for 2027 entry: by 13 April 2027Medway 2027 entry: Appeal deadlineChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Medway Council.The source says: Tuesday 13 April 2027 | Deadline for on-time appeal requests
View the official source, sent to the school.
Who arranges appeals: Appeals submitted to the school (from 1 March 2027)Holcombe Grammar School: Arranged by (2027)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Holcombe Grammar School.The source says: you may submit an appeal for a place at Holcombe Grammar School.
View the official source
The school's own appeal deadline for 2027 entry: 13 April 2027Holcombe Grammar School: Deadline (2027)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Holcombe Grammar School.The source says: Tuesday 13 April 2027 This is the date by which an appeal must be submitted to Holcombe Grammar School
View the official source.
Keep a realistic second choice. See Medway Test reviews and appeals.
What is different about Holcombe Grammar School
- Where you live. There is no catchment area: after the priority groups, distance decides.
- No pupil premium criterion; pupils at named Thinking Schools Academy Trust primaries in Medway get priority after siblings.
Other Medway schools
How far offers reached at all 6 schools on the same test
Listed A to Z. Each school has its own admission rules, so a longer distance does not mean a place is easier to get.
Listed A to Z by school name.
Chatham GrammarBoys and girls
Offers reached 17.94 miles
Fort Pitt Grammar SchoolBoys and girls
Offers reached 2.06 miles
Holcombe Grammar SchoolBoys and girls(this school)
Offers reached 22.96 miles
Rainham Mark Grammar SchoolBoys and girls
Offers reached 2.59 miles
Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical SchoolBoys
Offers reached 3.35 miles
The Rochester Grammar SchoolGirls
Offers reached 11.38 miles
Source: Medway Council, checked Each school's own page names its source. Distances are measured by each school's own method, so compare with care.
Official documents and sources
4 sources, each kept as an archived copy
- Department for Education (Explore Education Statistics)
Spreadsheet · copy archived by ExamKind on 16 Oct 2026
- Holcombe Grammar School
PDF document · copy archived by ExamKind on 9 Oct 2026
- Holcombe Grammar School
Web page · copy archived by ExamKind on 9 Oct 2026
- Holcombe Grammar School
PDF document · copy archived by ExamKind on 9 Oct 2026
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