The Howard School Review 2026: Boys’ Secondary with a Co-educational Sixth Form in Rainham

A disciplined day structure, clear expectations, and a strong emphasis on rights and respect shape daily life at The Howard School. Morning line-ups set routines; dedicated reading time sits inside the timetable; and the House Championship brings an organised, competitive edge to academic, creative, and sporting events.

The school is part of The Howard Academy Trust and serves students aged 11 to 18. The latest Ofsted inspection (23 to 24 November 2021) confirmed the school continued to be Good. It is also recognised as a Gold Rights Respecting School by UNICEF, with the school highlighting this as a distinctive part of its identity in Kent and Medway.

For families, the central question is fit. This is a boys’ main school with a mixed Sixth Form, and it places real weight on conduct, punctuality, and contribution. Students who respond well to clear rules and structured support tend to do best here.

The tone is purposeful. The school’s published expectations stress punctuality and personal presentation, and the timetable reinforces that message. Students line up at the start and end of the day, which can help some families feel confident about consistency and supervision. For others, it can feel strict, particularly for children who prefer a looser style of secondary school life.

The values language is direct and easy for students to understand, with Be Hardworking, Be Good, and Be Kind used as anchors for behaviour and personal development. The school also uses a clear “give your best effort” message through its motto, Give 100%, 100% of the time. This is not subtle branding; it is positioned as a day-to-day standard, backed by routines and rewards.

A second defining feature is rights and respect. The school sets out a strong commitment to inclusion and to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as a guiding framework for culture, policies, and planning. In practice, this tends to show up in the language students use, the way diversity is discussed, and the prominence given to student leadership and contribution.

Leadership is established and visible. Mr Jasbinder Johal is Principal and has led the school since 2021. Families who value stability at the top will see that as a positive, particularly in a large setting with a published capacity of 1,725 students.

The headline here is mixed. Outcomes sit below the England average range implied by the school’s national ranking position, and the data points suggest that performance is stronger in some areas than others.

GCSE performance and ranking (FindMySchool ranking based on official data)

Ranked 2,959th in England and 4th in Gillingham for GCSE outcomes. This places the school below England average, within the bottom 40% of schools in England on this measure.

On the attainment side, the Attainment 8 score is 42.5, which indicates a broadly mid-range GCSE profile across subjects. Progress 8 is +0.24, which points to students making above-average progress from their starting points. That combination can occur when the school supports progress effectively, but overall attainment remains constrained by prior attainment profile, subject entry patterns, or a more vocational leaning.

One striking metric is EBacc: 3.9% achieving grade 5 or above in the English Baccalaureate measure, alongside an EBacc average point score of 3.53. For parents, this often signals that relatively few students are following a full EBacc pathway, or that EBacc entry and outcomes are not a central driver of the school’s Key Stage 4 model.

A-level performance and ranking (FindMySchool ranking based on official data)

Ranked 2,409th in England and 5th in Gillingham for A-level outcomes. This also sits below England average, within the bottom 40% on this measure.

At A-level, 22.03% of entries are at A* to B, and 4.41% at grade A, with 0.44% at A*. For context, England averages on the same measure are 47.2% at A* to B and 23.6% at A* to A. This is a meaningful gap, and it is important for families with high academic ambitions to consider what that implies about course mix, entry requirements, and whether a student is likely to thrive in a large Sixth Form with a broad ability range.

For parents comparing local schools, FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages and the Comparison Tool can be helpful for placing these rankings and measures alongside nearby alternatives on a like-for-like basis.

The school presents its curriculum as inclusive and carefully sequenced, with subject leaders mapping what students learn and in what order. In practical terms, families can see this in the emphasis on routine learning habits, retrieval, and structured independent study.

A distinctive feature is the deliberate carving out of time for reading. Reading sits inside the school day rather than being treated purely as homework. Sixth Form students also take part in supporting younger pupils’ reading at lunchtimes, which adds a mentoring dimension and can strengthen community links between year groups.

Independent study is treated as a taught skill rather than an assumption. The school describes independent study as including deliberate practice, research, and extended writing, and it also references a dedicated Independent Study Club. Alongside that, the extra-curricular timetable includes specific academic support sessions such as Maths Sparx independent study support, which is a practical example of intervention being embedded into the wider weekly rhythm.

For students who benefit from predictable routines, this approach can be effective. Those who prefer open-ended learning may need time to adjust, particularly if they are moving from a more informal primary setting.

Destinations data suggests a strongly employment-linked profile alongside a university route for a smaller proportion of leavers than many schools with Sixth Forms.

For the 2023 to 2024 leaver cohort (size 124), 24% progressed to university, 10% started apprenticeships, 40% went into employment, and 5% progressed to further education. This points to a Sixth Form that supports varied pathways, with a clear emphasis on employability and post-18 transition into work as well as study.

The school’s own guidance places visible weight on careers advice, including apprenticeship routes, and that matters given the destination profile above. For families, the practical question is whether the student is seeking a strongly academic Sixth Form environment, or a setting that provides both academic and vocational options alongside active careers guidance.

Course provision is positioned as broad, including A-level and BTEC pathways, and the Sixth Form promotes supervised study and enrichment roles such as ambassadors, committees, and student leadership. The co-educational Sixth Form can also be attractive for families who want a mixed environment at 16, even if they prefer a boys’ school for Years 7 to 11.

Year 7 admission is coordinated through Medway, with the school’s Planned Admission Number (PAN) set at 250. When the school is oversubscribed, its published criteria prioritise, in order, children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, looked-after and previously looked-after children, siblings, and children of staff in specified circumstances. Medical reasons and a defined access area are also considered, with distance used as a key factor, measured by the shortest available safe walking route. Where applicants are otherwise tied for the final place, the published tie-break is a random draw.

Medway’s published timeline for September 2026 entry is clear: applications close at 5pm on Friday 31 October 2025, with offers sent on Monday 2 March 2026, and the deadline for accepting or refusing offers, plus waiting list and appeal requests, on Friday 27 March 2026. The school also highlights 27 March 2026 by 5pm as the point by which Year 7 appeals should be submitted.

Demand is real. Medway’s published data for September 2025 entry shows 577 applications for 250 offers, and the furthest distance offered was 3.56 miles (converted from 5,732.97 metres). Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place.

Open events follow a consistent pattern. Year 7 open events are positioned in early October, and the school’s published calendar shows a Year 7 open evening in early October and an open morning on the following weekend. For Sixth Form, an open evening is published for early November. If you are shortlisting, it is worth checking dates early each year, as booking links can close once capacity is reached.

For families weighing chances on distance, FindMySchool’s Map Search is the quickest way to check your precise home-to-gate measurement against the most recently published distance offered, while keeping in mind that this moves each year.

Pastoral support is presented as multi-layered, with Year Teams as the main day-to-day anchor. The school also highlights a structured rewards system, including Golden Tickets, stamps, and a 100% Club, which gives families a sense of how positive behaviour is reinforced in a setting that is explicit about discipline.

Support is not positioned as only reactive. The school describes a personal development programme with assemblies and guest speakers, student leadership opportunities, and targeted programmes such as Aspire and Ascent, which are framed as routes to help students build skills and remove barriers. In addition, the extra-curricular timetable includes a Zen Den (invite only), which suggests a specific space or intervention focused on regulation and wellbeing for students who need it.

The safeguarding and culture picture is reassuring. Inspectors reported that pupils feel safe and that bullying is rare because staff intervene quickly. Beyond safety, the emphasis on rights and respect links strongly to belonging, especially for students who need clarity about how they will be treated and how they should treat others.

The extra-curricular offer is unusually well specified, with a published weekly timetable by day, time, and year group. That detail matters because it shows a school trying to make enrichment predictable rather than occasional.

There are strong academic and interest-based options for younger students. Examples include Geography Club, Debate Society (Years 7 and 8), Chess Club, Coding Club (Years 7 to 9), Lego Club (Years 7 and 8), STEM Club (Key Stage 3), History Club (Years 7 to 9), and a Fright Club focused on horror story writing. For students who like structured competition, the House Championship runs across subject events and whole-school challenges and links to a values framework built around leadership, organisation, resilience, intuition, and communication.

Digital and contemporary activities are visible. The school lists esports participation through the British Esports Student Championships, with a Rocket League team, which is a specific, modern hook for students who are motivated by competitive gaming within rules and supervision.

Creative arts activity appears consistently as well. Drama clubs run, and the school notes past collaboration with other local schools to stage full-scale musical productions including Les Misérables and Hairspray. Performing arts trips are also described, including travel to New York to see Broadway shows as a learning enhancement. Music opportunities include Band Club, which is framed as open to students across year groups.

Sport is prominent and organised, with after-school clubs linked to PE staffing expectations. Football and rugby feature strongly, with additional fitness sessions for older students. For families who want a busy week that reduces idle time after school, this breadth can be a real advantage.

The school day is published in detail. For Years 7 to 11, morning line-up runs 08:25 to 08:30, followed by a morning personal development session 08:30 to 09:00. On most days, the school finishes with an afternoon line-up 14:55 to 15:00. Fridays operate on a different timetable and end earlier, with the afternoon line-up 12:50 to 13:00.

Lunch and break arrangements vary by year group, with designated zones, and reading time is built into the day through DEAR (Drop Everything And Read). For families, that combination often means fewer surprises in routine and a clearer sense of where students are meant to be throughout the day.

For travel, the school is in Rainham with rail access via Rainham (Kent) station, and Medway also operates school transport routes that include services to this area. Families who rely on buses should check annual route availability early, as places can be limited on some services.

• Results profile. GCSE and A-level rankings sit below England average on the measures used here, and A-level grades in particular are materially behind England averages. Families with highly academic post-16 ambitions should explore subject-by-subject fit and support carefully.

• EBacc pathway. The EBacc measure is very low. If your priority is a strongly academic EBacc-focused curriculum through Key Stage 4, ask direct questions about subject entry patterns and how the school advises students.

• Structured discipline. Line-ups, clear sanctions, and a visible behaviour framework can suit students who benefit from order. For others, the approach may feel restrictive.

• Admissions pressure. Recent admissions data indicates more applicants than places, and the furthest-offered distance has been several miles in the latest published cycle. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place.

The Howard School offers a large, structured boys’ secondary experience with a mixed Sixth Form and an unusually detailed approach to enrichment. The rights-respecting ethos and the emphasis on routine, reading, and personal development are clear strengths for many students.

Best suited to families who want a disciplined culture, strong pastoral structure, and a broad set of clubs and leadership opportunities, and who are comfortable with a boys’ main school moving into a mixed environment at 16. The key trade-off is that exam outcomes, particularly at A-level, are currently weaker than many families might expect from a school with a substantial Sixth Form.