Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #7 in Medway public Top 25% UK

The Howard School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Jasbinder Johal

corporate_fareTHE HOWARD ACADEMY TRUST

location_onGillingham, ME8 0BX

language Visit Website phone 1634388765

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2016

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Students

1,508

trending_up

Attainment 8

45.2

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GCSE Rank

#7 in Medway

#1,702 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

The Howard School is a Academy converter secondary school in Gillingham, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

The Howard School is an academy converter in Gillingham, Medway, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of THE HOWARD ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 1,534 pupils on roll, of whom 22% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 45.2, placing the school #7 in Medway and #1,702 of 3,216 nationally. 33.00% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 8.0% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 15 A-level subjects. 22.0% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 3.4% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.31 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2016. The school's current overall rating is Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.9× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.0:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 2 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 2.3 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

45.2

Grade 5+ E&M

33.00%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)8.0%

Entering EBacc28.90%

EBacc APS3.86

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.24

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc15.90%

EBacc APS3.53

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.24

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc18%

EBacc APS3.51

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.19

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc18%

EBacc APS3.63

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc24%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.14

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc58%

EBacc APS3.7

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.08

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc50%

EBacc APS3.65

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)80%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)80%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment9%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

-0.31

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

D+

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*1.1%

Achieving A*–A3.4%

Achieving A*–B22.0%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate97.9%

A-level subjects offered15

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.27

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

D+

Students

Retention rate98.30%

2023

Avg Grade

D+

Students

Retention rate93.10%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate98.7%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

23 November 2021

Inspection Report

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04 October 2016

Inspection Report

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01 October 2014

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2016-10-04

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2013-11-28

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2008-11-25

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

1.7%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.4%(21 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

1pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,534 pupils. During this period, there were 26 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 1.7%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,534	26	1.7%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,528	43	2.8%	7.8%	1
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,538	46	3.0%	7.4%	2
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,533	43	2.8%	7.1%	3
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,523	34	2.2%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,508	50	3.3%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,508	61	4.0%	6.4%	2
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,498	59	3.9%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,484	53	3.6%	4.7%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,486	39	2.6%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,486	32	2.2%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,511	55	3.6%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,519	21	1.4%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,520	81	5.3%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,485	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,485	118	7.9%	3.2%	1
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,493	175	11.7%	4.2%	4
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,452	132	9.1%	3.1%	2
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,459	125	8.6%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,466	89	6.1%	3.8%	4
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,404	88	6.3%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,415	72	5.1%	3.0%	2
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,425	58	4.1%	3.7%	1
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,452	81	5.6%	3.0%	4
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,458	94	6.4%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,468	78	5.3%	3.1%	4

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 49 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 40 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 36 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 25 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 23 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 8 pupils

Visual Impairment 5 pupils

Physical Disability 4 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils