School Chooser

Rochester Independent College

Independent · ages 11-21MixedIndependent401 pupilsSixth formRochesterMedway
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Strong pass in English and maths0%England 46%
Places24 spare401 pupils, 425 places
Average A level gradeB-2024/25
Pupils on roll401Census January 2024

Rochester Independent College is an independent school in Rochester for boys and girls aged 11 to 21. It has 401 pupils and room for 425.

254 St Margaret's Banks, Rochester, ME1 1HY01634 828115rochester-college.org.ukMr Alistair Brownlow headteacherAll details

Inspection

This private school is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, not Ofsted. Its reports are at isi.net.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

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

Average GCSE score18.9
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
2018 to 2025
2018: 21.321.320182019: 14.114.120192022: 22.622.620222023: 21.021.020232024: 19.919.920242025: 18.918.92025
Since 2018: -2.4
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018MedwayEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11606358453343
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 818.919.921.022.614.121.346.846.8
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%0%2%0%0%45%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%0%0%2%0%0%64%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.850.700.890.880.811.554.224.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%0%0%52%41%

Subjects

Results came out for 10 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.

Strongest subjects

Art and Design78%grades 9 to 5, England 58%

Subjects that did worse than the England average: Biology (46% here, 82% across England), Chemistry (70% here, 81% across England).

What is taught hereOffers triple science, computer science.

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

Every subject against England, 2025
Art and Design86 entries
78%England 58%
Biology37 entries
46%England 82%
Chemistry20 entries
70%England 81%
Physics14 entries
79%England 82%
46%England 49%
Film Studies13 entries
46%England 52%
Drama12 entries
17%England 60%
100%England 56%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Art and Design8630%78%100%58%
Biology3711%46%73%82%
Chemistry2035%70%85%81%
Physics1429%79%93%82%
Other Modern Languages1346%46%46%49%
Film Studies138%46%69%52%
Drama120%17%67%60%
Physical Education1136%100%100%56%
Computer Science714%57%71%56%
French633%83%83%60%

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.

A level and sixth-form results, 2025

108 students finished sixth-form courses.

Average A level gradeB-37.4 points per entry
A level progress+0.02Against students elsewhere with the same GCSE grades. 0 is average.
AAB or better5%with two subjects universities favour
All sixth-form measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018
Students108103103124211206
Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry37.4135.3933.7735.6137.1636.46
Average A level gradeB-B-C+B-B-B-
Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS36.5134.6832.8234.0836.8735.90
AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects5%7%10%7%11%10%
A level progressA level value added+0.02+0.11+0.42+0.11

A level subjects

21 A level subjects had results in 2025. Each figure is the share of students who got an A* to B, next to the average for state sixth forms in England. When only a handful of students take a subject, its figures jump around from year to year.

Strongest A levels

Fine Art94%A* to B, England 65% · 16 entries
Biology77%A* to B, England 49% · 13 entries
Photography79%A* to B, England 58% · 19 entries
Chinese80%A* to B, England 64% · 10 entries
A levels taught hereThe small number is how many students sat each one in 2025.
SubjectsGraphics29Psychology21Photography19Business Studies17Fine Art16Economics15Sociology14Biology13Chemistry12English Literature11Chinese10Physics9History9Media / Film / TV Studies8Government and Politics8Textiles7Russian7Geography6Film Studies6Computer Science6History of Art5
Every A level subject against England, 2025
Graphics29 entries · 35% A* or A · 100% passed
66%England 65%
Psychology21 entries · 10% A* or A · 95% passed
24%England 46%
Photography19 entries · 37% A* or A · 100% passed
79%England 58%
Business Studies17 entries · 12% A* or A · 100% passed
18%England 47%
Fine Art16 entries · 31% A* or A · 100% passed
94%England 65%
Economics15 entries · 13% A* or A · 100% passed
33%England 57%
Sociology14 entries · 7% A* or A · 100% passed
50%England 49%
Biology13 entries · 39% A* or A · 100% passed
77%England 49%
Chemistry12 entries · 8% A* or A · 100% passed
67%England 53%
English Literature11 entries · 36% A* or A · 100% passed
46%England 52%
Chinese10 entries · 60% A* or A · 90% passed
80%England 64%
Physics9 entries · 11% A* or A · 89% passed
44%England 51%
History9 entries · 22% A* or A · 100% passed
44%England 55%
Media / Film / TV Studies8 entries · 13% A* or A · 100% passed
75%England 46%
Government and Politics8 entries · 25% A* or A · 100% passed
38%England 55%
Textiles7 entries · 14% A* or A · 100% passed
86%England 67%
Russian7 entries · 100% A* or A · 100% passed
100%England 75%
Geography6 entries · 33% A* or A · 100% passed
50%England 51%
Film Studies6 entries · 17% A* or A · 100% passed
50%England 57%
Computer Science6 entries · 0% A* or A · 100% passed
33%England 46%
History of Art5 entries · 0% A* or A · 0% passed
0%England 54%

A levels only. BTECs, T levels and other courses are in the table above. Subjects with fewer than five students aren't published.

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
15.822.0
Gap 6.2England 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 roll401Census January 2024
Places42594% full
Pupils from low-income familiesGet free school meals
Pupils getting extra support27%110 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan11%45 pupils with a plan
Boys and girls194 / 207
How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll401412374358334330
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals0%0%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support27%26%29%30%56%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans9%11%12%9%8%

What pupils do next

After sixth form

Where the 89 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training65%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers
Still in education, work or training65%71%65%
Education58%63%55%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%
Work7%9%10%
Not in education, work or training6%6%6%

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m1,03512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate347 per 1,000 people281% higher than the England average
Typical house price£310,000Medway
Nearest bus stop60 mDelce Road, 22 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
Ripplevale School RochesterIndependent150 m140Not inspectedCompare
St Margaret's at Troy Town CofE Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolAcademy260 m216Report card 202689Compare
Fort Pitt Grammar SchoolAcademy (grammar)550 m1,009Outstanding 202295Compare
St Andrew's School (Rochester)Independent610 m329Not inspectedCompare
King's School, RochesterIndependent770 m574Not inspectedCompare
St Peter's Infant SchoolCouncil850 m60Good 202410Compare
Rochester Riverside Church of England Primary SchoolFree school880 m298No overall grade 202543Compare
St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive SchoolRoman Catholic920 m1,084No overall grade 202417Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Rochester Independent College a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Rochester Independent College yet.

How good are Rochester Independent College'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 18.9, against 46.8 for England.

How many pupils does Rochester Independent College have?

401 pupils aged 11 to 21 were on the roll in January 2024. It has 425 places, so it is 94% full.

Does Rochester Independent College have a sixth form?

Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was B-. 21 A level subjects had results in 2025; the full list is in the results section.

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

Contact and details

Address
254 St Margaret's Banks, Rochester, ME1 1HY
Telephone
01634 828115
Website
www.rochester-college.org.uk
Headteacher
Mr Alistair Brownlow
Type of school
Independent school (Other independent school, independent schools)
Phase
Independent school, ages 11-21, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Local authority
Medway
Ward
Rochester West & Borstal
Constituency
Rochester and Strood
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
26 September 1986
URN
119006 · LAESTAB 8876004 · UKPRN 10005511

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from