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Fully selective state school · Medway

Holcombe Grammar School 11+ admissions

September 2027 entryEvidence reviewed 1 October 2026

Current entrance requirements, dates and school facts with links to the official evidence used. Unknown information is labelled rather than estimated.

At a glance

Address
Holcombe, Chatham, South East, ME4 6JB
Year 7 admission
Mixed Year 7 admission
School type
Fully selective state school
Funding
State-funded
Day or boarding
Day school
Religion or denomination
GIAS records no applicable religious character.
Published admission number
180September 2027 entry
Academically selected places
180September 2027 entry
Preferences per offer
5.4DfE National Offer Day, September 2026 entry. This is not a pass probability.
Assessment provider
GL AssessmentGL Assessment is verified for the linked assessment route. GIAS does not publish the current assessment provider.

Selection route

  • Medway Test

    Local authority selection test · GL Assessment · Three multiple-choice papers taken at a Medway Council test venue, with a minimum 20-minute break between papers

    Raw scores are age-standardised and weighted as English x2, mathematics x2 and reasoning x1. The grammar standard is set each year so that the highest-scoring children equivalent to 26% of the Medway maintained-school cohort are assessed as grammar; qualification does not guarantee a school place.

    Official registration page
Eligibility
Co-educational applicants must achieve the pre-set standard in the Medway testing arrangements and be deemed of selective ability.
Score policy
The Medway testing arrangements determine selective ability; no separate numeric school qualifying score is published in the 2027 policy.
Registration
GIAS does not publish the current test registration URL.

Who gets priority

Priority school groups: The Gordon Children's Academy, New Horizons Children's Academy, All Faiths Children's Academy, Cedar Children's Academy.

Category 3 depends on attending one of these four TSAT Medway primary schools. It does not define a home-address catchment or remove the Medway selective-ability requirement. Other qualifying children can apply under the remaining criteria.

The 180-place Year 7 intake is co-educational from September 2026 and applicants must be deemed selective through the Medway arrangements. Qualifying named EHCP/statement admissions precede the allocation. Priority is looked-after or previously looked-after children, including policy-defined overseas state-care/adoption cases; continuing same-address siblings; pupils attending one of the four named TSAT Medway primary schools; qualifying staff children; evidenced child health need; then nearest homes. Primary-school priority depends on attendance, not a home postcode. Staff need two years of employment when the application is made or recruitment to a demonstrable shortage post. Health claims need GP or hospital-consultant evidence showing why Holcombe specifically is required. Distance applies when any category is oversubscribed and follows the shortest-home-to-school method in the Medway coordinated scheme; this policy does not define the detailed route calculation, so confirm that method with admissions. For identical distances, both applicants are admitted above PAN. Multiple births or siblings in the same year group can also receive places above PAN when only one place remains. The home is the normal residence notified to relevant agencies; separated parents must agree and nominate one address. Families can request the waiting list, which follows the criteria rather than time spent on the list and changes as applicants join or leave; the school holds it from 1 September 2027. In-year testing and post-16 TSAT secondary-school priority are separate rules.

For September 2027 entry. Policy checked 2026-10-01. A priority category does not guarantee an offer.

Read the admissions policy

Applications and offers over time

DfE preferences and offers at National Offer Day. Each preference is a school named on an application; a child can name several schools. These figures describe past demand and do not predict an offer.

Holcombe Grammar School: National Offer Day preferences and offers
2026Preferences968Offers179Preferences per offer5.41
2025Preferences733Offers179Preferences per offer4.09
2024Preferences632Offers150Preferences per offer4.21
2023Preferences630Offers150Preferences per offer4.20
2022Preferences570Offers148Preferences per offer3.85
2021Preferences681Offers147Preferences per offer4.63
2020Preferences596Offers150Preferences per offer3.97
2019Preferences562Offers142Preferences per offer3.96
2018Preferences533Offers146Preferences per offer3.65
2017Preferences517Offers126Preferences per offer4.10
2016Preferences494Offers91Preferences per offer5.43
2015Preferences482Offers80Preferences per offer6.03
2014Preferences424Offers80Preferences per offer5.30

School identifiers are joined across documented predecessor links. Missing and suppressed values stay unpublished. Latest dataset: September 2026 entry. Checked 2026-10-01.

What the assessment covers

These subjects are verified for the linked shared assessment route. GIAS does not publish the current assessed subjects.

  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Spatial reasoning
  • Non-verbal reasoning
  • Verbal reasoning

These stages are verified for the linked shared assessment route. GIAS does not publish the current assessment stages.

  1. 1. Medway Test

    Registered pupils sit the three papers and receive a grammar or non-grammar assessment before the secondary-school application deadline.

Key dates

Registration opens
GIAS does not publish the current registration opening date.
Registration deadline
GIAS does not publish the current registration deadline.
Test date
GIAS does not publish the current test dates.
CAF deadline
GIAS does not publish the current CAF deadline.
National Offer Day
GIAS does not publish the current offer date.

Shared assessment-route dates

Assessment dates
Registration opensRouteMedway TestWhen18 May 2026
Registration closesRouteMedway TestWhen12 June 2026
Medway-school testing beginsRouteMedway TestWhen15 September 2026
Medway-school testing endsRouteMedway TestWhen16 September 2026
Outside-Medway test weekend beginsRouteMedway TestWhen19 September 2026
Outside-Medway test weekend endsRouteMedway TestWhen20 September 2026
Results releasedRouteMedway TestWhen14 October 2026

Every 11+ test's dates are in the 11+ dates calendar. To decide where this school goes on the application form, use the school application order planner.

Fees

Fee per term
This is a state-funded school.
Fee per year
This is a state-funded school.
Published fee context
This is a state-funded school.

Inspection context

Inspection outcomes are maintained separately and are not present in current GIAS downloads.

Practise for this school's test

Start with the subjects confirmed in the admissions sources. Topic quizzes build skills; they are not replicas of this school's entrance test.

Three topic quizzes to try

Try a short GL-style timed mock

24 original questions across four subjects in 30 minutes. This is a short practice sample; check the local test format and timings separately.

Official paper directory records

Try the free diagnostic to choose what to practise next.

Sample papers

Official papers for this school's test, from the school itself or the body that runs the test, linked from the publisher's own site. Trace Learn does not host copies.

Sample papers for this school
Medway Test familiarisation bookletPublished byMedway Test · Familiarisation bookletSubjectsEnglish, Maths, Non-verbal reasoning, Verbal reasoningAnswersno answers publishedOpens onopens on medway.gov.uk

Questions families ask

Which 11+ test does Holcombe Grammar School use?

Holcombe Grammar School uses Medway Test for September 2027 entry. The route names GL Assessment as the assessment provider.

How many Year 7 places does Holcombe Grammar School have?

Holcombe Grammar School's published admission number is 180 for September 2027 entry.

Who is eligible to apply to Holcombe Grammar School?

Co-educational applicants must achieve the pre-set standard in the Medway testing arrangements and be deemed of selective ability.

Are Holcombe Grammar School's 2027/28 oversubscription criteria published?

The 180-place Year 7 intake is co-educational from September 2026 and applicants must be deemed selective through the Medway arrangements. Qualifying named EHCP/statement admissions precede the allocation. Priority is looked-after or previously looked-after children, including policy-defined overseas state-care/adoption cases; continuing same-address siblings; pupils attending one of the four named TSAT Medway primary schools; qualifying staff children; evidenced child health need; then nearest homes. Primary-school priority depends on attendance, not a home postcode. Staff need two years of employment when the application is made or recruitment to a demonstrable shortage post. Health claims need GP or hospital-consultant evidence showing why Holcombe specifically is required. Distance applies when any category is oversubscribed and follows the shortest-home-to-school method in the Medway coordinated scheme; this policy does not define the detailed route calculation, so confirm that method with admissions. For identical distances, both applicants are admitted above PAN. Multiple births or siblings in the same year group can also receive places above PAN when only one place remains. The home is the normal residence notified to relevant agencies; separated parents must agree and nominate one address. Families can request the waiting list, which follows the criteria rather than time spent on the list and changes as applicants join or leave; the school holds it from 1 September 2027. In-year testing and post-16 TSAT secondary-school priority are separate rules.

What subjects should a child prepare for Holcombe Grammar School?

The verified school or linked route evidence covers English, Mathematics, Spatial reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning, and Verbal reasoning.

How current is the information for Holcombe Grammar School?

Trace Learn reviewed 8 attached evidence sources by 2026-10-01. Unknown facts stay labelled and should be checked again before applying.

Sources and review record

  1. Open state-funded school fields CSV

    Department for Education. Accessed 25 August 2026. GIAS register snapshot on 25 August 2026.

  2. Holcombe Grammar School Admissions Policy 2027-28

    Holcombe Grammar School. Accessed 26 August 2026. September 2027 entry.

  3. School admission arrangements 2027

    Medway Council. Accessed 26 August 2026. September 2027 entry.

  4. Key dates for applying for secondary school: September 2027 entry

    Medway Council. Accessed 26 August 2026. September 2027 entry.

  5. About the Medway Test

    Medway Council. Accessed 26 August 2026. September 2027 entry.

  6. How the Medway Test is marked

    Medway Council. Accessed 26 August 2026. September 2027 entry.

  7. ONS Postcode Directory May 2026 school-postcode centroid extract

    Office for National Statistics. Accessed 25 August 2026. ONS Postcode Directory, May 2026.

  8. Holcombe Grammar School Admissions Policy 2027-28

    Holcombe Grammar School. Accessed 1 October 2026. September 2027 entry.

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