Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0In West Malling, 25% of pupils got grade 5 or better in both English and maths GCSE, below both Kent’s towns (37%) and towns in England (45%). 4 state-funded schools are located in West Malling’s built-up area. West Malling grades B− for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #39 of 87 in Kent. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
The primary figure lifts West Malling; the secondary figure holds it back.
The primary figure: 3 primaries in the town, 283 pupils in results over three years. West Malling has no secondaries of its own with GCSE results, so the secondary figure uses the 2 graded secondaries in and within 3 km of the town (235 pupils in results). Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is West Malling’s built-up area.
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.
Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 8% at Valley Invicta Primary School At Leybourne Chase to 30% at West Malling Church of England Primary School and McGinty Speech and Language Srp. Against schools with the same intake, More Park Catholic Primary School does best: 79% with 16% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 64%. 2 of 3 primaries are above the line.
| School | Free school meals | Result | Typical for that intake | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| More Park Catholic Primary SchoolKS2 % | 16% | 79% | 64% | +15 |
| Valley Invicta Primary School At Leybourne ChaseKS2 % | 8% | 78% | 66% | +12 |
| West Malling Church of England Primary School and McGinty Speech and Language SrpKS2 % | 30% | 60% | 60% | −0 |
Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.
Kent County Council handles applications for every state school in West Malling, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 2 of West Malling’s 3 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%.
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 0 of West Malling’s 4 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
| Run by | Schools | Pupils | Their letters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Invicta Academies TrustValley Invicta School At Leybourne Chase | 1 | 230 | A |
| Tenax Schools TrustWest Malling | 1 | 191 | C+ |
| Kent Catholic Schools' PartnershipMore Park | 1 | 183 | A |
| Kent County CouncilThe Rosewood | 1 | 3 | — |
West Malling has 1 alternative provision school, for pupils who can’t attend mainstream school for a time. A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), Kent County Council names the school in the plan, after asking the family’s preference. These schools have no letter, because their results don’t compare with mainstream schools’. Their cards ↑
Kent County Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of West Malling, and the top and bottom of the group.
| # | Town | Schools | KS2 | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ E&M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gnosall Staffordshire | A+ | 83% | — | — |
| … | |||||
| 295 | Kilburn and Horsley Woodhouse Derbyshire | B− | 61% | 44.9 | 47% |
| 296 | Thorpe Willoughby North Yorkshire | B− | 60% | 46.3 | 47% |
| 297 | Kimberley Nottinghamshire | B− | 56% | 49.6 | 51% |
| 298 | Bloxham Oxfordshire | B− | 62% | 44.8 | 43% |
| 299 | West Malling Kent | B− | 72% | 39.4 | 25% |
| 300 | Messingham Lincolnshire | B− | 67% | 42.2 | 36% |
| 301 | Grange-over-Sands Cumbria | B− | 58% | 49.8 | 46% |
| 302 | Fernhill Heath Worcestershire | B− | 62% | 44.9 | 43% |
| 303 | Moorends South Yorkshire | B− | 67% | 41.1 | 36% |
| … | |||||
| 626 | Watchet Somerset | D− | 29% | — | — |
Coloured by School Grade.
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Malling 4 schools | B− | 72% | 39.4 |
| Larkfield 10 schools · 1.5 mi | C− | 61% | 38.2 |
| Kings Hill 3 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 1.8 mi | B− | 73% | 38.2 |
| Snodland 4 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 2.5 mi | D | 58% | 38 |
| Wateringbury 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.1 mi | A | 70% | — |
| Vigo Village 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.1 mi | B+ | 64% | — |
| Eccles 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.3 mi | D | 58% | 38 |
| Culverstone Green 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.8 mi | C | 63% | 38.4 |
Wateringbury has the best-graded schools nearby (A). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
West Malling’s state schools earn a B− against schools across England: primary results beat 92% of towns in England; secondary results beat 6% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Kent council.
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, More Park Catholic Primary School: 79% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Through Kent County Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
4 open state-funded schools are located in West Malling’s built-up area: 3 primary, 0 secondary and 1 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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