Holcombe Grammar School

If your child does best with clear expectations, a strong routine and a real sense of belonging, Holcombe builds its days around exactly that. It is a selective grammar for ages 11 to 18 on Maidstone Road in Chatham, part of the Medway group of grammars and of the Thinking Schools Academy Trust. The place wears its history with some pride. Known as Chatham Grammar School for Boys until 2016, it took the name Holcombe after the manor house at the heart of its site, and its roots run back to 1817, with formal beginnings as a junior technical school in 1913 that trained young people for the Royal Navy and the dockyard.

The motto, Aspire and Achieve Together, captures the tone. The stated aim is for pupils to leave as confident, well-rounded young people with the academic and personal skills to do well in the wider world. House life is woven into the heritage of the place, with houses named after ships built at the nearby Chatham Dockyard, competing through sports days, cross country and rugby and hockey across the year. Pupils are organised into a Lower School, Middle School and Sixth Form, with a sizeable team of prefects and captains drawn from the older years.

Worth knowing for families applying now: Holcombe becomes co-educational from September 2026, admitting girls throughout the school alongside other Medway grammars. It is led by principal Lee Preston, with Mandy Gage as executive principal. The school suits a child who responds well to structure, clear expectations and the kind of belonging that comes through house and team.