Rainham Mark Grammar School: 11+ Admissions Guide 2026

Rainham Mark Grammar School (RMGS) is a co-educational selective grammar school in Gillingham, Medway, admitting approximately 235 pupils into Year 7 each year via the Medway Test. If your child is currently in Year 5 and you are aiming for September 2027 entry, the test takes place on 15 and 16 September 2026, with results published on 14 October 2026. This guide covers everything you need to know: the three-paper Medway Test format, the selective pass mark, key dates, oversubscription criteria, how the school compares with other Medway grammar schools, and how to prepare effectively.

What Is the Medway Test and How Does It Work at Rainham Mark Grammar School?

Admission to Year 7 at Rainham Mark Grammar School is determined entirely by performance in the Medway Test, which is organised by Medway Council and delivered by GL Assessment. The Medway Test is the common entrance assessment for all grammar schools in the Medway unitary authority. One important distinction that families new to the area often miss: Medway is a separate unitary authority from Kent County Council, and the Medway Test is a different assessment from the Kent Test. Passing the Kent Test does not gain entry to Medway grammar schools, and passing the Medway Test does not grant eligibility to apply to Kent grammar schools such as Invicta, Tonbridge Grammar, or Judd School. If your family is considering schools across both Medway and Kent, you must register separately for each test.

The Medway Test consists of three papers, each lasting 50 minutes:

• Paper 1 — English: Reading comprehension followed by an extended writing task. This paper tests vocabulary range, comprehension accuracy, and written expression.
• Paper 2 — Mathematics: Multiple-choice questions based on the Key Stage 2 national curriculum, covering arithmetic, number, geometry, data handling, and problem-solving.
• Paper 3 — Verbal Reasoning: Multiple-choice questions testing logic, language patterns, and abstract reasoning.

A critical feature of the Medway Test that parents must understand is the double-weighting of the English and Mathematics papers. Marks from Paper 1 (English) and Paper 2 (Maths) are each counted twice in the final total, while Paper 3 (Verbal Reasoning) is counted once. This means that English writing ability and mathematical reasoning together carry two-thirds of the total score. Children who are strong readers and writers — particularly those who can produce well-structured, accurate extended writing at speed — hold a meaningful advantage in the Medway Test over children who are strong in reasoning alone.

The test is administered across two sessions. Children at Medway state primary schools sit both sessions during school time in mid-September; children at independent schools or schools outside Medway sit at a test centre on a weekend in late September. Results come back as a pass/fail notification — either a selective result (placing the child in the top cohort) or a non-selective result — alongside a standardised score. Families cannot directly compare their child's score against a fixed national benchmark; the selective threshold is recalibrated each year based on the cohort's performance.

How Many Year 7 Places Does Rainham Mark Grammar School Offer?

Rainham Mark Grammar School is one of the larger grammar schools in Medway by intake, offering approximately 235 Year 7 places each year. These places are available to both boys and girls. The school operates from the Pump Lane site in Rainham (ME8 7AJ) and serves pupils from across the Medway towns and surrounding areas — including Gillingham, Chatham, Sittingbourne, and parts of north Kent — as well as children from further afield who are prepared to travel.

The school's sixth form is shared with partner schools in the Medway area, broadening the range of A-level and vocational subjects available to students in Years 12 and 13. With over 1,550 pupils across the school including the sixth form, Rainham Mark Grammar School is a large institution by grammar school standards, and the breadth of curriculum it offers reflects that scale.

What Are the Key Dates for the 2026 Medway Test?

The Medway Test timetable for September 2027 entry is set by Medway Council. All key dates are confirmed on the official Medway Council admissions website at www.medway.gov.uk. The dates below are confirmed for the 2026 test cycle:

Important registration note: For September 2027 entry, registration for the Medway Test opened on 18 May 2026 and closed on 12 June 2026. Children at Medway state primary schools were registered automatically by their school unless their parents opted out. Children at independent schools or schools outside Medway were required to register manually through the Medway Council admissions portal. If your child is currently in Year 5 and missed the 2026 registration window, they will need to wait for the 2027 registration window (expected to open in May 2027) to apply for September 2028 entry. Families planning ahead for that cycle should watch the Medway Council website from April 2027.

How Competitive Is Entry to Rainham Mark Grammar School?

Entry to Rainham Mark Grammar School is genuinely competitive. The school typically receives more than four applications for every Year 7 place from children who have achieved a selective result on the Medway Test. This oversubscription ratio means that passing the Medway Test is a necessary step, but it does not on its own guarantee an offer from the school.

The selective threshold for the Medway Test is set each year to identify approximately the top 23% of all children who sit the test. In recent admissions cycles, this has corresponded to a standardised score of approximately 488. Families should note that this figure can shift year on year depending on the cohort performance — it is not a fixed cut-off that children can train towards as a precise target. The key is achieving comfortably above the threshold, not just scraping the boundary.

Once a child has achieved a selective result, Rainham Mark Grammar School applies its oversubscription criteria in the following order when demand exceeds the available 235 places:

1. Children in care or who were previously in care (looked-after children and previously looked-after children).
2. Children eligible for free school meals.
3. Children with a sibling currently attending Rainham Mark Grammar School at the time of application.
4. Children with health or special access needs supported by medical or professional evidence.
5. Children of staff employed at the school.
6. Children living closest to the school, measured in a straight line from home to school.

In practice, for most families, the decisive criterion is distance. Children who live in Rainham, Gillingham, and the immediate surrounding postcodes (ME8, ME7) are geographically best positioned. Families from further afield — Sittingbourne, Faversham, Dartford — may find that the distance criterion works against them even if their child achieves a strong selective result. Reviewing previous years' published admissions data on last-admitted distances is strongly recommended for families assessing their chances.

How Should My Child Prepare for the Medway Test?

Preparation for the Medway Test at Rainham Mark Grammar School requires a structured, multi-subject approach that begins well before the September test date. The three-paper format spans very different skill sets — English writing, mathematical problem-solving, and abstract verbal reasoning — and the double-weighting of English and Maths means that shortcomings in either of those subjects cannot be compensated for by strong verbal reasoning performance alone.

Families who succeed in gaining a place at Rainham Mark Grammar School or other Medway grammar schools typically begin structured preparation in Year 4 or early Year 5 — approximately 12 to 18 months before the September test. This timeline allows preparation to be thorough and progressive rather than frantic and last-minute. Three broad phases tend to work well:

• Phase 1 (Year 4 to early Year 5): Introduce all Medway Test subject areas systematically. Build familiarity with the question types in GL Assessment verbal reasoning, practise extended writing regularly, and ensure solid grounding in KS2 maths. No timed pressure at this stage — focus on understanding and fluency.
• Phase 2 (mid-Year 5 to spring Year 6): Shift to timed practice under realistic test conditions. Work on the specific 50-minute paper format. Target any remaining gaps in mathematical reasoning, comprehension accuracy, and reasoning question types. Extended writing should be practised under time pressure — a skill that many children find much harder than untimed writing.
• Phase 3 (June to September Year 6): Consolidate with mock tests, stamina-building, and fine-tuning. Sit full three-paper mock exams under realistic conditions. Review errors analytically rather than re-doing correct work. Manage exam nerves through familiarity with the test structure.

The extended writing component in Paper 1 deserves special attention. Many preparation programmes focus heavily on verbal reasoning and maths, but the English paper — with its double weighting — can be the deciding factor for children who are borderline selective. Practising timed writing from Year 5 onwards, focusing on paragraph structure, vocabulary range, and sustained narrative or descriptive quality, builds the specific skills the paper demands.

For further preparation guidance covering the full 11+ landscape, our complete grammar school preparation guide covers subject-by-subject strategy for GL Assessment papers. Our guide on 11+ exam technique also covers timing strategies specifically relevant to the Medway Test's 50-minute paper format.

What Is Rainham Mark Grammar School Like?

Rainham Mark Grammar School is a co-educational selective academy in Gillingham, Medway, rated Good by Ofsted at its most recent inspection in May 2022. The school spans Year 7 through to Year 13 and has over 1,550 pupils across all year groups, including a thriving sixth form. Its sixth form is run in partnership with other Medway secondary schools, which expands the range of A-level subjects and vocational options available to students in Years 12 and 13 beyond what any single school could offer independently.

The curriculum at Rainham Mark is broad and academically ambitious. Alongside core GCSE and A-level programmes, the school offers a wide range of extra-curricular activities, leadership opportunities, sports clubs, and creative arts. Its Ofsted report described teaching as skilled and dedicated, with lessons described as calm and purposeful. Behaviour and attitudes were rated Good, with the report noting that pupils feel safe and cared for and that bullying is rare.

The school serves pupils from more than 30 local primary schools, reflecting the wide geographic draw of the Medway Test across the area. It has been noted for including a higher-than-typical proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities for a grammar school, reflecting its inclusive ethos within the selective framework. Many students go on to Russell Group universities and other competitive destinations after completing their A-levels at the school.

In the context of the four Medway grammar schools, Rainham Mark occupies a distinctive position as the only school that has always been co-educational at Year 7 entry. For families comparing Medway options, our guides to Chatham Grammar School and Rochester Grammar School cover the other Medway selective schools in full, helping families assess which school is the best fit geographically and educationally.

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