Individual School Information - M - Kent Independent Education Advice

Individual School Information - M

Updated May 2022

You will find an initial article on 2021 allocations here, an article on 2021 oversubscription data for grammar schools here, and for non-selective schools here. For Grammar School Preferences, only grammar-qualified children are counted. The PAN is the Published Admission Number and refers to the number of places available in the year group for each school. If additional places were offered, I have recorded this under PAN.

A Report on 2021 Appeals Outcomes here and exclusions here. For Attainment 8 and Progress 8 and further information on the performance of all Kent schools with 2019 GCSE scores go to here for an explanation. 2020 GCSE and A-Level outcomes were not published, nor will they be for 2021

In the Individual performance table, under the A-Level Progress heading for 2019, you will find a figure like this: -0.37(BA,104, D+, 60). This tells you that the school has a Progress performance level at A-Level, of -0,37, which is Below Average, 104 students took at least one A-Level with an average grade of D+, with 60 students taking three A Levels. A gap between the number of students taking one and those taking three A-Levels can be indicative of the number of vocational courses being offered.

In general, the number of first choices for N/S schools fell for 2020 entry, because the delay in the Kent Test due to Covid, saw KCC offering six choices for one year only, instead of the usual four. This allowed parents room to include a grammar school, often in first place, without knowing the Kent Test outcome.

Maidstone Grammar School.MGS Is a Foundation school so one of a small minority of secondary schools still under the aegis of Kent County Council. OFSTED January 2019: Good, down from Outstanding, a shock for this prestige school, but reflected performance. Was significantly oversubscribed until 2017, when a major new building investment allowed the school to open a permanent additional form of entry, thus creating a surplus of selective boys’ places across Maidstone. It has now recovered its reputation, hence the surge in first choices for 2020. The 14 vacancies 2021 is unprecedented, although the proportion of boys found selective in the District fell by 15%, and the school has returned to its regular oversubscription for 2022 entry. .

Its oversubscription criteria include residence in a named parish, with priority from 2019 entry to high scoring boys being clarified to read an aggregate Kent Test score of 360; then other local boys who are grammar qualified. As parents know Kent test scores before applications are made, it is clearly important that those scoring less than 360 should include Oakwood Park Grammar on their list, as some families living apparently close to the school can lose out.

Performance at GCSE was shocking with Progress 8 at -0.12 in 2018, the same as the struggling non-selective school, New Line Learning Academy, also in Maidstone. Some improvement for 2019. As with all four Maidstone grammar schools, there was an average staying on rate into the Sixth Form for Kent grammars, of 72%, but picked up 26 students from the two girls grammars in 2020. For 2021 MGS had an increase of 21 students from Year 11 to 12.

INITIAL ALLOCATIONS
	PAN	1st prefs	1st prefs not offered	Vacancies
2017	205	193	0	0
2018	205	208	11	0
2019	205	214	29	0
2020	205	245	60	0
2021	205	191	0	14
2022	205	234	43	0

APPEALS FOR SCHOOL PLACES
	Appeals Heard	Upheld
2016	53	15
2017	21	11
2018	30	10
2019	68	18
2020	64	18
2021	47	18

For 2020 as in 2021 , all appeals heard were 'Paper-Based'. Seven of the nine boys previously assessed grammar had their appeals upheld.

Pre- 2017, the large majority of successful appeals went to boys who were already grammar qualified.

Uses a KCC Appeal Panel

2019 Appeals: four were already grammar qualified. 2020, seven of the nine grammar qualified appellants were upheld.

2021: As the school remarkably had 14 vacancies on allocation, none of the appellants were previously grammar qualified and so all 18 successful appeals were from boys who had not passed the Kent Test.

PERFORMANCE DATA
	Prog 8	Att 8	GCSE Grade 5 Eng & Maths	KS5 Progress & Performance
2016	0.16	65.7
2017	0.16	64	n/a	-0.46(BA)
2018	-0.12(A)	62.2	88%	0.00(A)
2019	0.17 (A)	65.4	91	0.12 (AA,168,B-,166)

Progress 8 scores were not flattering in 2017, coming in the bottom third of grammar schools in the list, although higher (15/32 in the Attainment 8 Table). However, for 2018 they declined further, in both tables (to 29/32 in Progress 8, 26/32 for Attainment 8)), which must be very worrying for such a prestige school. At A Level Progress, second lowest grammar school performer in 2017, but improved in 2018 and 2019. There has been no published data since then to compare.

MGS Ofsted Performance
	Inspection Type	Outcome
Jan 2019	Full	Good
Sep 2013	Full	Outstanding
Feb 2008	Full	Outstanding

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Maidstone Grammar School for Girls. Is a Foundation school so another of the small minority of secondary schools still under the aegis of Kent County Council. Regularly undersubscribed, struggling to compete with Invicta Grammar, although the two had see-sawed in popularity in previous years. Its Outstanding OFSTED dates back as far as 2009, way beyond the normal span. It may be because of its good academic performance, although it has a reputation for putting girls under pressure, with a high fallout rate at the end of Year 11. An article I wrote in 2017 highlighted its illegal and private selection system to try and recruit the highest performers to the Sixth Form, which was condemned by the Ombudsman, after the school was caught out lying about it.

Popularity plummeted in 2916 in competition with Invicta Grammar and has not recovered Very high rate of successful admission appeals up to and including 2020, probably to cover up for this. One of the lowest staying on rates for Kent grammar schools into the Sixth Form at 65% in 2020, although still picked up 26 students from other grammars to compensate. Lost 16% of its Year 11 numbers in 2021, but Invicta lost 31%. Some went to MGS but otherwise, to where did they vanish? Also lost a very high 13 girls from year 12, or 8% of the total in 2021, second highest percentage in Kent. Is this a sign of the illegal practice of off-rolling. Something needs to change!

INITIAL ALLOCATIONS
	PAN	1st preferences	Vacancies
2017	180	116	42
2018	180	134	31
2019	180	109	58
2020	180	111	55
2021	180	114	27
2022	180	112	45

APPEALS FOR SCHOOL PLACES
	Appeals Heard	Upheld
2016	75	55
2017	76	53
2018	91	45
2019	114	75
2020	89	61
2021	82	39

For 2020 and 2021, all appeals heard were 'Paper-Based'.

Consistently one of the highest proportion of successful grammar school appeals in the county, as it tries to build up its numbers; 70% in 2017, 66% of a much higher number in 2019. Uses a KCC Appeal Panel. For 2021, there were more girls places offered on allocation than any other recent year, thanks to the higher pass rate amongst girls in the Kent Test, so less room for appellants.

PERFORMANCE DATA
	Prog 8	Att 8	GCSE Grade 5 Eng & Maths	KS5 Progress & Performance
2016	0.39	67.4
2017	0.58	64	n/a	-0.07(A)
2018	0.59(WAA)	68.7	93%	-0.09(BA)
2019	0.84 (WAA)	69.7	96%	-0.05, A,160,B-,148

There has been no published data since 2009 to compare.

MGGS Ofsted Performance
	Inspection Type	Outcome
May 2009	Full	Outstanding
Jan 2006	Full	Good

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The Malling School, Foundation School. OFSTED 2019 Good for the third time. The school was rebuilt under the controversial PFI initiative around 2010 and because of the outstanding loan taken out has been unable to academise since if it had wanted to, as explained here. Has had a chequered history in the past and eight years ago the school was linked with Holmesdale School which provided Malling with support. Since then, the roles are reversed and the Federation was dissolved as Malling has flourished and Holmesdale plunged into Special Measures and beyond. It was one of the most oversubscribed schools in Maidstone and district, until 2020, even stronger for 2022. Has the largest and most sought after SEN Unit in the County, the Tydeman Centre which is in great demand, taking in children with Speech and Language difficulties and ASD. Whilst this has a negative effect on academic performance reports it appears good for the school as a whole. Academic performance was still not strong in 2019, the last year performance was measured, as weaker cohorts worked through to Year 11, but I anticipate this has now vanished and parents are voting with their feet as the school's reputation continues to grow.

INITIAL ALLOCATIONS
	PAN	1st prefs	1st prefs not offered	Vacancies
2017	180	159	15	0
2018	180	214	57	0
2019	180	167	43	0
2020	159	169	31	0
2021	159	120	1	0
2022	159	215	63	0

The school’s strong progress can be tracked by its increasing popularity year on year. The school had an official PAN of 159 for some years, increasing its intake to 180, which was the PAN for 2019, but then reduced this again somehow for 2020, back to 159 as popularity dipped a little temporarily.

Appeals for School Places
	Appeals	Upheld
2018	9	9
2019	11	0
2020	13	7
2021	5	All Appeals upheld

For 2020 & 2021, all appeals heard were 'Paper-Based'. KCC Appeal Panel

PERFORMANCE DATA
	Prog 8	Att 8	GCSE Grade 5 Eng & Maths	KS5 Progress & Performance
2016	-0.03	44.8
2017	-0.3	36	n/a	No Entries
2018	-0.81(WBA)	32.2	17%
2019	-0.64(WBA)	36.7	23%

Still working through the lower ability intake when the school was very unpopular. However, it needed to see improvement for 2020. However, there has been no published data since then to compare.

Some SEN Unit children tend to underperform academically, but are counted in with the whole school for performance purposes, so attainment levels in particular will be dampened.

Malling Ofsted Performance
	Inspection Type	Outcome
Jun 2019	Full	Requires Improvement
May 2015	Full	Good
Jun 2012	Full	Good
Apr 2009	Full	Good

The school had a change of headteacher six months before the 2019 inspection, the previous head having been in post for ten years.

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Maplesden Noakes School Maidstone. Became an Academy in 2012. Increasingly heavily oversubscribed as popularity of schools in Maidstone polarises and population is rapidly increasing. Normally sound academic performance. Proposal to expand from 180 to 240 for 2021 went through. The success rate at appeal is consistently low.

INITIAL ALLOCATIONS
	PAN	1st preferences	1st prefs not offered
2017	180	187	77
2018	180	227	80
2019	180	222	67
2020	210	253	88
2021	240	173	12
2022	240	235	37

APPEALS FOR SCHOOL PLACES
	Appeals Heard	Upheld
2016	0	0
2017	34	13
2018	37	4
2019	45	6
2020	42	0
2021	10	4

For 2020 & 2021, all appeals heard were 'Paper-Based'. Uses a KCC Appeal Panel

PERFORMANCE DATA
	Prog 8	Att 8	GCSE Grade 5 Eng & Maths)	KS5 Progress & Performance
2016	0.08	49.6
2017	-0.12	43.1	n/a	0.07(A)
2018	-0.07(A)	40.6	21%	-0.36(BA)
2019	-0.08(A)	40.8	20%	-0.37,BA,104,D+,60

Maplesden Ofsted Performance
	Inspection Type	Outcome
Nov 2018	Short	Good
Sep 2013	Full	Good
Jun 2010	Full	Good

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Marlowe Academy, Ramsgate. Now closed.

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The Marsh Academy, New Romney, previously Southlands School, where I nearly became headteacher in the 1980's after a scandal involving the previous head led to his departure! Serves the very rural Romney Marsh. It was one of the early old style old style Academies, opened in 2007, and completely rebuilt in 2011 with Sixth Form on separate site. It struggled for some years under sponsors Tonbridge School, who clearly did not understand the issues of a very rural state school, the assumption being that rich independent schools catering for highly able and wealthy pupils have skills which transfer to the management of state schools. They were supported by Microsoft and KCC. Tonbridge School has now stepped back after discovering, as have other private schools at other academies, that it is somewhat of a challenge and the school is now run by The Skinners Company which also runs the highly successful Skinners Kent Academy. Still has sponsor governors from Tonbridge, Microsoft and KCC. Went through a period a few years ago of being managed by senior staff at Folkestone School for Girls. Loses a lot of able Marsh children to the Folkestone grammar schools, which select an additional high proportion of pupils through the Shepway Test. Popularity has picked up sharply since the closure of Pent Valley School in Folkestone causing pressure all round the Shepway District, especially at Brockhill Park in Hythe, previously a popular destination for Marsh children.

INITIAL ALLOCATIONS
	PAN	1st prefs	1st prefs not offered	Vacancies
2017	180	178	20	0
2018	180	171	12	0
2019	180	151	0	3
2020	180	154	7	0
2021	190	161	1	0
2022	180	194	29	0

Dip in first choices for 2019 may be due to opening of new Turner Free School in Folkestone, but there is a sharp increase in 2022, which may well be because the school is on the up..

No appeals heard 2014-21

PERFORMANCE DATA
	Prog 8	Att 8	GCSE Grade 5 Eng & Maths	KS5 Progress & Performance
2016	0.04	44.1
2017	-0.15	38	n/a	-0.47(BA)
2018	-0.65(WBA)	33.2	11%
2019	-0.5(BA)	35.4	14%	0.19(A, 23,C-,15)

Has had a very small sixth form for several years, but Year 12 has expanded to 91 students for 2019 (46 in 2018), and 105 in 2020. Some students will take vocational courses only.

Marsh Ofsted Performance
	Inspection Type	Outcome
Feb 2017	Short	Good
Apr 2013	Full	Good
Sep 2011	Monitoring	Satisfactory Progress
Jun 2010	Full	Satisfactory

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Mascalls School Paddock Wood. Became an academy in 2011. Popular school with a rural hinterland, loses some able pupils to Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells Grammars, but still has a comprehensive intake. Regularly oversubscribed, but considerable churning particularly as it offers places to TW n/s pupils initially unable to get into schools local to them, so all applications pursued have been successful in recent years with no appeals needed. Significant rise in first choices 2019. PAN increased for September 2021 to further absorb children previously taken in by High Weald Academy after the closure of the school was announced. Many of these would previously have also been LAAs as Tunbridge Wells was full. The increase in PAN to 300 for 2022, along with the increase in 1st choices, shows a sense of reality for many of these families, but still not back to its popularity up to 2019. The record number of LAAS suggests there is much work to be done.

INITIAL ALLOCATIONS
	PAN	1st preferences	1st prefs not offered	LAAS	Vacancies
2017	240	206	8	0	0
2018	240	217	27	0	0
2019	240	242	29	0	0
2020	240	182	0	0	1
2021	270	145	0	49	0
2022	300	195	0	62	0

No appeals heard 2014- 21

PERFORMANCE DATA
	Prog 8	Att 8	GCSE Grade 5 Eng & Maths)	KS5 Progress & Performance
2016	0.0	45.6
2017	0.07	48.7	n/a	0.06(A)
2018	0.01(A)	42.5	30%	-0.30(BA)
2019	0.04(A)	45.4	36%	0.07(A,98,C, 59)

Consistent strong academic performance for a non-selective school.

Mascalls Ofsted Performance
	Inspection Type	Outcome
Nov 2016	Short	Good
May 2012	Full	Good

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Mayfield Grammar School, Gravesend. OFSTED Jun 2013 - Outstanding. Became an Academy in February 2012.

Now starting to pick up an increase in numbers from London and Ebbsfleet applicants. Mayfield introduced its own admission test for September 2015 entry to serve as an alternative to the Kent Test. Girls can be considered via either process and I can see little disadvantage in taking both tests. The only possible downside is that both results will be quoted if there is an appeal although, as there is no way of knowing at the time of testing whether either or which test will reflect poorly, this should not discourage parents from entering girls for both assessments. The Mayfield Test comprises: A computer-based test focusing on verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning and non-verbal reasoning and an English paper to assess reading and writing skills. For 2018 admission girls were required to achieve EITHER 100.15 in the computer test and a score of 10 in the English, OR 97.07 in the computer test and 15 in the English, but I have no more recent records. Neither I am afraid do I have any idea of the standard being sought through this process. Expanded PAN to 210 for 2021, but the school is likely to come under pressure to increase its PAN further as the Ebbsfleet expansion continues with no scope for more places in the two Dartford grammars. There have been extensive building works to cater for the new intake, although the out of date website contains a dead link to these.

INITIAL ALLOCATIONS
	PAN	1st prefs	1st prefs not offered	Mayfield Test Offers
2017	170	170	22	17
2018	180	183	11	21
2019	180	167	39	35
2020	180	173	8	13
2021	210	171	0	20
2022	210	172	3	19

The school attracts a considerable number of lower preference choices, including many from from London and Essex, which are mainly rejected on distance grounds.

APPEALS FOR SCHOOL PLACES
	Appeals Heard	Upheld	Previously Grammar Assessed
2016	40	26
2017	37	13
2018	42	13	1/14
2019	44	16	5/17
2020	62	38	19/26
2021	36	20	2/6

PERFORMANCE DATA
	Prog 8	Att 8	GCSE Grade 5 Eng & Maths	KS5 Progress & Performance
2016	0.07	65.1
2017	0.23	62.8	n/a	-0.26(BA)
2018	0.33(AA)	65.8	85%	-0.41(BA)
2019	0.41(AA)	65.8	88%	-0.56(WBA,143,C-,118)

Unusually for a grammar school, seven of the 143 Year 11 pupils did not qualify for Progress 8 (because, apparently and exceptionally they did not have baseline data at KS2 , and 25 students did not take three A-Levels because they sat the History Pre-U qualification instead). Lowest performing grammar school in A Level Progress and second lowest in three A Level performance in Kent, 2019.

Mayfield Ofsted Performance
	Inspection Type	Outcome
Jun 2013	Full	Outstanding
Jan 2011	Interim	Good
Feb 2008	Full	Good

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Meopham School, OFSTED January 2019 - Outstanding, see article on its meteoric rise here.

After a number of disastrous years, unpopular and failing academically, Meopham was taken over by Swale Academies Trust in 2012, and, under good leadership has never looked back, although the subject of several strange decisions. In 2016, the Trust made the bizarre proposal that the school should consult on converting to a grammar school, which created headlines and may simply have been a PR exercise. Now academically outstanding, reduced its intake for 2018 back to its original PAN creating large oversubscription. Moved into new buildings in 2018 (horrible architecture!) which may have contributed to its further increase in popularity. The further expansion in PAN was supposed to be backed up by additional building works, but these have hit a problem at the time of writing (January 2022).

INITIAL ALLOCATIONS
	PAN	1st prefs	1st prefs not offered
2017	170	146	19
2018	140	154	55
2019	140	226	75
2020	170	233	76
2021	200	273	97
2022	200	218	36

Furthest Distance offered on allocation in miles

	2019	2018	2017
Meopham School	3.185	3.982	4.999

No appeals heard 2014-18

APPEALS FOR SCHOOL PLACES
	Appeals	Upheld
2019	29	8
2020	33	1
2021	44	1

For 2020 & 2021, Appeals were heard by Clerks Associates and were video conference. In 2021, one appellant was offered a place before appeals were heard.

PERFORMANCE DATA
	Progress 8	Attainment 8	GCSE Grade 5 Eng & Maths	KS5 Progress
2016	0.48	43.4
2017	0.57	44.7	n/a	-0.25(A)
2018	0.46(AA)	48.1	57%	-0.24(A,17,D,1)

For coverage of excellent GCSE results, 2018, see here. Meopham was second highest Kent non-selective school for Progress 8 'Well Above Average' and seventh highest for Attainment 8 in 2017. For 2018, third highest Progress 8 and again seventh for Attainment 8.

Meopham Ofsted Performance
	Inspection Type	Outcome
Jan 2019	Full	Outstanding
Jan 2018	Short	Good recommend consider Outstanding
Nov 2014	Full	Good
Jan 2012	Full	Special Measures