School of Science and Technology Maidstone
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School of Science and Technology Maidstone is a free school in Maidstone for boys and girls aged 11 to 19. It has 1,056 pupils and room for 1,200. About 14 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 63 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 45% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2023.
New Cut Road, Maidstone, ME14 5GQ01622 938444sstmaidstone.viat.org.ukMr Ryan Royston headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 24 January 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Outstanding overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
190 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 190 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 48.0 | – | – | 47.8 | 46.8 |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 47% | – | – | 48% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 76% | – | – | 67% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 4.46 | – | – | 4.28 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 72% | – | – | 48% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 41.9 | – | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 48.8 | – | – | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 21 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
Subjects that did worse than the England average: French (21% here, 60% across England), Spanish (23% here, 54% across England), Social Studies (24% here, 54% across England), Music (33% here, 61% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 190 | 19% | 59% | 85% | 53% | 1,013 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 190 | 12% | 54% | 78% | 54% | 1,454 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 189 | 14% | 51% | 79% | 58% | 1,937 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 154 | 5% | 46% | 74% | 36% | 778 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 130 | 10% | 42% | 57% | 51% | 2,024 of 3,116 |
| Spanish | 89 | 3% | 23% | 39% | 54% | 1,814 of 1,941 |
| History | 65 | 32% | 55% | 72% | 52% | 1,212 of 3,126 |
| Business | 61 | 18% | 39% | 57% | 51% | 1,205 of 1,806 |
| Computer Science | 48 | 17% | 46% | 65% | 56% | 1,179 of 1,861 |
| French | 47 | 13% | 21% | 36% | 60% | 1,897 of 1,974 |
| Social Studies | 46 | 0% | 24% | 44% | 54% | 974 of 1,043 |
| Physics | 34 | 44% | 97% | 100% | 82% | 591 of 2,546 |
| Chemistry | 34 | 41% | 97% | 100% | 81% | 587 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 34 | 44% | 97% | 100% | 82% | 560 of 2,570 |
| Art and Design | 31 | 19% | 52% | 84% | 58% | 1,761 of 2,818 |
| Music | 24 | 4% | 33% | 63% | 61% | 326 of 395 |
| Design & Technology | 22 | 32% | 50% | 59% | 50% | 680 of 1,478 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 20 | 10% | 35% | 60% | 52% | 842 of 1,098 |
| Religious Studies | 18 | 11% | 78% | 89% | 60% | – |
| Drama | 12 | 8% | 42% | 58% | 60% | – |
| Other Modern Languages | 10 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 49% | – |
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. 2 of the 3 gaps are 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
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.
249 places were empty (21% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 150% since 2021/22.
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 Kent council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (56), Specific learning difficulty (55), emotional and mental health (44), language and communications needs (39), Moderate learning difficulty (28), Physical disability (12).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 1,056 | 953 | 765 | 576 | 383 | 192 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 13% | 12% | 11% | 10% | 7% | 6% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 13% | 11% | 11% | 11% | 10% | 7% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 19% | 18% | 14% | 11% | 13% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 4% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 3% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 6.6% | 6.5% | 6.2% | 4.5% | 2.3% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.3% | 4.6% | 4.9% | 3.8% | 2.0% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.3% | 1.9% | 1.4% | 0.7% | 0.3% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 16.1% | 16.4% | 14.1% | 11.5% | 3.6% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 7.2 | 7.2 | 11.6 | 12.5 | 5.7 | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
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 secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Park School | Academy | 400 m | 1,555 | No overall grade 2025 | 20 | Compare |
| Invicta Grammar School | Academy (grammar) | 600 m | 1,670 | Outstanding 2024 | 98 | Compare |
| Maidstone Grammar School | Foundation (grammar) | 0.8 miles | 1,443 | Not inspected | 96 | Compare |
| Maidstone Grammar School for Girls | Foundation (grammar) | 1.5 miles | 1,254 | Outstanding 2023 | 95 | Compare |
| The Maplesden Noakes School | Academy | 1.6 miles | 1,418 | Good 2024 | 19 | Compare |
| New Line Learning Academy | Academy | 1.8 miles | 826 | No overall grade 2025 | 6 | Compare |
| St Augustine Academy | Academy | 2.0 miles | 673 | Report card 2026 | 10 | Compare |
| Oakwood Park Grammar School | Academy (grammar) | 2.0 miles | 1,100 | Good 2024 | 94 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares School of Science and Technology Maidstone with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 63 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 63% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 53 to 72. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | in line | +0.06 | 2025 results; 190 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | well above | +0.33 | Ofsted grade, 3.6 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | +0.00 | Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 190 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well below | -0.29 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | above | +0.09 | 2024/25; 977 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | in line | +0.00 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 190 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is School of Science and Technology Maidstone a good school?
It is about average. School of Science and Technology Maidstone scores 63 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 45% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 53 to 72, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.
What is School of Science and Technology Maidstone's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated School of Science and Technology Maidstone outstanding at its last full inspection on 24 January 2023.
How good are School of Science and Technology Maidstone's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 47% 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 48.0, against 46.8 for England.
How many pupils does School of Science and Technology Maidstone have?
1,056 pupils aged 11 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,200 places, so it is 88% full.
Is School of Science and Technology Maidstone oversubscribed?
Probably not. 249 places were empty in 2024/25 (21% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at School of Science and Technology Maidstone?
Pupils were in school 93.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 16% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at School of Science and Technology Maidstone?
The average class had 25.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 53% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does School of Science and Technology Maidstone 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
- New Cut Road, Maidstone, ME14 5GQ
- Telephone
- 01622 938444
- Website
- www.sstmaidstone.viat.org.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr Ryan Royston
- Type of school
- Free school (Free schools, free schools)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-19, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Valley Invicta Academies Trust (9 schools)
- Local authority
- Kent
- Ward
- Grove Green & Vinters Park
- Constituency
- Faversham and Mid Kent
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2020 (new provision)
- URN
- 144716 · LAESTAB 8864019 · UKPRN 10086463
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.