School Chooser

Alchemy School

Special · ages 11-19MixedIndependent58 pupilsSixth formGillinghamMedway
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Strong pass in English and maths0%England 46%
Places62 spare58 pupils, 120 places
Pupils on roll58Census January 2024

Alchemy School is an independent special school in Gillingham for boys and girls aged 11 to 19. It has 58 pupils and room for 120.

105 Nelson Road, Gillingham, ME7 4LT01634 217721alchemyschools.co.ukMrs Lisa Bowles headteacherAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

21 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE score2.0
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths0%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths0%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Trend
Average GCSE score
2022 to 2025
2022: 0.90.920222023: 5.95.920232024: 3.43.420242025: 2.02.02025
Since 2022: +1.1
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure2025202420232022MedwayEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 1121141430
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 82.03.45.90.946.846.8
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%45%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%0%0%3%64%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.120.200.380.064.224.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%52%41%

Subjects

Results came out for 2 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.

What is taught here

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
Mathematics11 entries
0%England 53%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Mathematics110%0%0%53%
English Language90%0%0%54%

In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At GCSE, 2025

Average GCSE scoreBoys vs girls
0.94.5
Gap 3.6England 3.0
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Open to all. There is no entrance test.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Medway council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll58Census January 2024
Places12048% full
Pupils from low-income familiesGet free school meals
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%58 pupils with a plan
Boys and girls47 / 11
How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll587375464825
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals0%0%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support7%29%0%19%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans93%71%100%81%100%

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m97612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate124 per 1,000 people36% higher than the England average
Typical house price£310,000Medway
Nearest bus stop80 mSt Barnabas Church, 20 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Byron Primary SchoolAcademy260 m502No overall grade 202414Compare
Napier Community Primary and Nursery AcademyAcademy280 m597Good 201986Compare
Hospital and Medical Tuition ServiceMiscellaneous600 mNot inspectedCompare
Barnsole Primary SchoolAcademy600 m609Good 20248Compare
Chatham GrammarAcademy (grammar)650 m948Good 202387Compare
The Robert Napier SchoolAcademy740 m1,048No overall grade 20243Compare
Brompton AcademyAcademy850 m1,399No overall grade 202423Compare
Luton Primary SchoolAcademy0.6 miles613Good 20232Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Alchemy School a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Alchemy School yet.

How good are Alchemy School's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 0% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 2.0, against 46.8 for England.

How many pupils does Alchemy School have?

58 pupils aged 11 to 19 were on the roll in January 2024. It has 120 places, so it is 48% full.

Does Alchemy School have a sixth form?

Yes.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
105 Nelson Road, Gillingham, ME7 4LT
Telephone
01634 217721
Website
www.alchemyschools.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Lisa Bowles
Type of school
Independent special school (Other independent special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 11-19, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Local authority
Medway
Ward
Gillingham South
Constituency
Gillingham and Rainham
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
4 February 2019 (new provision)
URN
146736 · LAESTAB 8876153 · UKPRN 10085691

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from