This year's Medway Test pass mark is 478, the lowest in four years. The council wants 27% assessed as grammar from 2028; have your say by 19 November.
Medway Test results go out today, and this year’s pass mark is 478. A child from any school who scored 478 or more has been assessed as suitable for grammar school.
That is the lowest minimum score in at least four years. It follows the council’s decision to widen the grammar pool from 25% to 26% of the Medway cohort for September 2027 entry, which we reported last month.
The council has also opened a consultation on going further. Its proposed scheme for 2028 would assess 27% of Medway children as grammar. That would affect today’s Year 5 pupils, who sit the test next September.
The pass mark, year by year
The council publishes the minimum score once results are out. Its marking page now lists:
| Year of entry | Minimum weighted score | Share of cohort assessed grammar |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 492 | 23% |
| 2025 | 482 | 25% |
| 2026 | 481 | 25% |
| 2027 | 478 | 26% |
The score is not fixed in advance. The council ranks every child at a Medway maintained school by weighted score. It then counts down to its chosen percentage of the whole Year 6 cohort, and the score at that point becomes the pass mark.
Its own worked example: with 4,000 children at Medway maintained schools, 26% is 1,040. Any child scoring the same as or more than the 1,040th highest Medway pupil is assessed as grammar. That includes children from outside Medway and from independent schools.
The weighted score counts English and maths twice and reasoning once.
What the 2028 proposal says
The change is one sentence in the proposed secondary admissions scheme for 2028 to 2029 (Word document):
The minimum score will be set at the 27th percentile of the Medway cohort (i.e. Year 6 children attending a Medway maintained school) based on school census data.
It comes with a condition. The six grammar schools currently admit 1,123 pupils a year between them. The scheme expects that to rise to at least 1,153 for September 2028, which is 30 more places. If it does, the cut-off moves to 27%. If the total stays at 1,123, the cut-off “will instead revert to the 26th percentile”.
The scheme does not say which grammar schools would add the places. Each one sets its own admission number.
The council’s announcement says there are no proposed changes to the primary admissions scheme.
Key dates for next year’s test
These apply to children born between 1 September 2016 and 31 August 2017, if the scheme is adopted as proposed:
- Monday 17 May to Friday 11 June 2027: register for the Medway Test
- Tuesday 14 and Wednesday 15 September 2027: the test, in school, for children at Medway primary and junior schools
- Saturday 18 or Sunday 19 September 2027: the test at a centre for everyone else, one day allocated
- Wednesday 13 October 2027: results
- Sunday 31 October 2027: secondary applications close
- Wednesday 1 March 2028: offers
The scheme repeats the council’s standing warning that late registrations cannot be accepted.
What it means for you
- Got a result today? Being assessed as grammar is not a place. Grammar schools can still be oversubscribed and fall back on their own criteria.
- Your application is separate, and due soon. Secondary applications for September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October. The council’s preferences advice is to name a mix of grammar and non-grammar schools.
- No result yet? Emails go out after 10am today. Check junk folders. If nothing has arrived by Thursday 15 October, the council says to email medwaytest@medway.gov.uk.
- Missed the score? There is no review or remark. You can still name grammar schools and appeal if you are not offered one.
- Got a child in Year 5? The 27% proposal is about them. You can take part in the survey until Thursday 19 November. Cabinet will consider the responses, and the council will set the final scheme in December.
For the rest of the school year, our Medway school term dates page has every holiday through to summer 2027.
Sources
- Medway Council, How the Medway Test is marked, read 14 October 2026
- Medway Council, Medway Test results
- Medway Council, proposed secondary admissions scheme 2028 to 2029, version 1.0, 18 September 2026
- Medway Council, School admissions arrangements 2028
- Medway Council, Consultation on secondary school admission scheme open, 13 October 2026
Have your say