Oakwood Park Grammar School Review 2026: Selective entry, strong GCSE profile, and a structured route through to sixth form

Competition is the first thing families notice here. With 561 applications for 143 offers in the most recent entry cycle provided, Oakwood Park Grammar School is firmly oversubscribed, and the Kent Test shapes the journey from Year 6 onwards. Once pupils arrive, the offer is clear: a traditional grammar-school academic core, a busy enrichment calendar, and a sixth form that broadens the community by admitting girls at 16+.

Leadership has also moved on recently. Mrs Sarah Craig became Headteacher from 01 September 2024, following Mr Kevin Moody’s departure at the end of August 2024.

For parents, the practical headline is simple. This is a state school, so there are no tuition fees. The real “cost” is the admissions hurdle and the pace that follows.

The school motto, Strive and Serve, is positioned as more than a slogan. The published values framework emphasises curriculum challenge, specialist teaching, resilience, and an environment built on kindness, tolerance, and respect.

A notable feature is how deliberately the school builds student leadership into daily life. Sixth-formers are expected to model the culture for younger year groups, and the house system is used as an organising principle rather than a decorative add-on. Houses are tied to local history and identity: Broughton, Fisher, Hazlitt, Sadler, and Wilberforce, each linked to a historical figure or connection.

The atmosphere is also shaped by structure. The school day is tightly timetabled, with hour-long lessons and a week pattern that alternates between Week 1 and Week 2. That rhythm suits students who like clarity and routine.

A final point on identity is heritage. The school traces its beginnings to 1918 as The Technical Institute in Maidstone, later expanding and moving site, with the current Oakwood Park buildings developed from the mid 1950s and completed in 1959.

On the published GCSE indicators provided, the profile is strong. The school’s Attainment 8 score is 64.9, and Progress 8 is 0.62, indicating that pupils make well above average progress from their starting points.

Top-end outcomes are also significant. The proportion of entries achieving grades 9 to 8 is 24.1%, and grades 9 to 7 account for 40.2% of entries.

In rankings terms, the school’s GCSE outcomes sit above England average, placing it comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England. Ranked 615th in England and 5th in Maidstone for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), it is one of the stronger academic options in its local area.

At A-level, results are more middle-of-the-pack by the same ranking lens. Ranked 1056th in England and 5th in Maidstone for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), performance aligns with the middle band of England schools. The grade distribution provided shows 7.29% A*, 19.1% A, 23.37% B, and 49.75% A* to B.

What this typically means in practice is a school that is highly effective at driving performance through GCSE, with sixth form outcomes that are solid rather than headline-making, although individual subjects and cohorts can vary year to year.

Curriculum ambition is explicit. The science curriculum materials illustrate a planned sequence from foundational ideas in Years 7 and 8 through to GCSE choices and A-level pathways, with detail that will appeal to families who like transparency about what is taught and when.

The science programme is also a good example of how the school tries to link classroom learning to wider experiences. Enrichment referenced in the department’s materials includes opportunities such as the Oxford Physics Olympiad and a residential trip to CERN in Geneva.

More broadly, enrichment is built into the school’s operational model, with collapsed-timetable enrichment days referenced as a regular feature.

Ofsted inspected on 01 and 02 May 2024 and confirmed that Oakwood Park Grammar School continues to be Good.

The sixth form is a genuine continuation route, with a defined external admissions process and clear entry thresholds. Students applying for Year 12 are expected to meet a baseline GCSE profile: at least six GCSEs at grades 9 to 5 with at least four at grade 6, plus minimum grade 5 in English Language and Mathematics, alongside subject-specific requirements (commonly grade 6 in the subject or a related subject).

From a destinations perspective, the school publicly lists a wide range of university destinations, including universities such as Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, University College London, and Imperial College London.

The destinations list is not presented as a numerical breakdown, so the most reliable quantitative picture comes from the destinations data provided for the 2023 to 2024 leavers cohort. In that cohort, 64% progressed to university, 22% entered employment, 2% started apprenticeships, and 1% went into further education, with the remainder not specified in the published fields.

For families interested in elite university routes, the Oxbridge pipeline is present but small in the most recent measurement period provided. There were 11 applications and 1 offer, resulting in 1 acceptance overall.

Year 7 entry is through the Kent selection process, with applications coordinated by Kent County Council. The school’s published admissions policy confirms a Published Admission Number of 160 for Year 7, and sets out oversubscription priorities.

In oversubscription situations, priority is given (after pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school) to looked-after and previously looked-after children, then siblings, then certain health and special access reasons, then pupils eligible for Student Premium, and finally distance measured in a straight line using the National Land and Property Gazetteer method.

Because the last distance offered is not available provided, parents should avoid treating “living nearby” as sufficient. In selective settings, the combined effect of Kent Test qualification, oversubscription priorities, and the year’s applicant geography can change outcomes significantly. FindMySchool’s Map Search can help families model journeys and shortlist realistically, but it should sit alongside the formal admissions rules rather than replacing them.

For 2026 Year 7 entry (September 2026 start), Kent County Council confirms that secondary applications opened on 01 September 2025 and closed on 31 October 2025, with offers released on 02 March 2026 and an acceptance deadline of 16 March 2026.

The Kent Test structure is also clearly set out by the local authority: multiple-choice papers, with an English and maths paper, a separate reasoning paper with verbal and non-verbal components, plus a writing exercise used for headteacher assessment if required.

Open events are published and give helpful timing signals for future cycles. For the 2026 entry cycle, the main open event was scheduled for Saturday 04 October 2025, followed by October open mornings, and the sixth form open evening was scheduled for Wednesday 10 December 2025, with additional December open mornings.

Pastoral support is structured and layered. Form tutors are positioned as the first line of day-to-day support, with a stated responsibility to know each student well and guide welfare and progress. Directors of Study then provide year-group oversight across academic and pastoral matters.

The school also describes targeted transition support, including an additional taster day for some pupils who may be anxious about change, and a Year 7 board games club intended to support social connection early in the year.

The most recent Ofsted report also states that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

This is an area where Oakwood Park is unusually specific, which is a good sign for parents trying to understand what “enrichment” actually looks like in weekly life. The published clubs and societies list includes academic, creative, and interest-led options rather than only the standard sports-and-music headline items. Examples include Medics Society, Physics Clinic, Coder Dojo, Politics and Law-related clubs, Screen Acting Academy, Warhammer Club, Japanese Club, and a range of music groups including OPGS Orchestra, OPGS Band, Guitar Ensemble, and composition and production.

Sport is also actively organised, including lunchtime and after-school clubs, a fixtures programme, and inter-house competitions where students can take roles beyond playing, such as coaching, journalism, or photography.

There are also signs of broader civic and environmental engagement. The sustainability programme references a Green Club and practical projects such as recycling schemes, creating “wild spaces”, and establishing a wildflower meadow to support local wildlife.

The implication for families is that the school tends to reward students who are willing to participate. The experience is richer for those who join a society, take on a house role, or commit to a longer-term programme.

The school day begins with registration at 8:30am. Lessons run on a five-period structure with one-hour lessons, and the published finish time is 3:20pm from Tuesday to Friday, with an earlier finish of 2:45pm on Mondays.

For open events, the school notes that parking can be available on the hardcourt.

Transport arrangements are not presented as a single, definitive public guide, so families should plan routes early and sanity-check journey time against the 8:30am start, particularly if relying on buses or trains.

• Selective entry, high stakes in Year 6. The Kent Test includes multiple components and a writing element that can be used at headteacher assessment stage. This can feel intense for some pupils, especially if they are sensitive to test pressure.

• Oversubscription remains a constraint after qualification. Even if a child is assessed as suitable for grammar education, places are allocated through oversubscription priorities, including sibling links, Student Premium, and distance methodology.

• Sixth form outcomes are solid rather than top-tier by England ranking. GCSE performance is a particular strength in the available results profile, while A-level performance sits closer to the England middle band on the same comparative basis.

• A structured day suits some students better than others. A timetable of one-hour lessons and clear expectations can be very supportive, but students who need more flexibility may take time to adapt.

Oakwood Park Grammar School suits students who want a selective academic environment with clear routines, strong GCSE performance, and a busy programme of societies and leadership opportunities. It is particularly well-matched to pupils who will engage with enrichment, use the house system as a route into school life, and appreciate a structured day. The main obstacle is admission rather than the educational offer itself.