Bower Grove School

Foundation special school · Mixed · ages 4–16Kent, Maidstone ME16school website

Three in four Year 11 leavers stay in education (England 86%); as a special school, its figures are not comparable with mainstream schools.

Where this school leads
72%

of Year 11 leavers stayed in education · Kent 88% · England 86% · DfE destination measures, pupils who left in 2023

Knowledge sphere of Bower Grove School: fields of knowledge mapped by the subjects taken here, by ISCED levelLanguage & Communication · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Language & Communication · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 16%Language & Communication · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Language & Communication · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 24%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Mathematics & Statistics · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Natural Sciences · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 37%Natural Sciences · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Natural Sciences · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Digital & ICT Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 32%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Engineering & Manufacturing · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Health & Safety · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 37%Health & Safety · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Health & Safety · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Business & Administration · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Business & Administration · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Law & Public Administration · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Social & Cultural Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Arts & Humanities · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Transversal Skills · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 19%Transversal Skills · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Transversal Skills · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 1 Primary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 2 Lower secondary (Key Stage 3): 100%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 3 Upper secondary (GCSE, A level): 37%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 4 Post-secondary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 5 Short-cycle tertiary: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 6 Bachelor's: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 7 Master's: 0%Green & Sustainability · ISCED 8 Doctoral: 0%LanguageMathsScienceICTEngineeringHealthBusinessLawSocialArtsTransversalGreen
Ofsted
Standards kept
Places
—
Pupils
246
Free school meals
67.1%

Ofsted: Short inspection, 20 November 2024: the last full grade still stands · report. Places: the last distance at which places were offered is not on file (it comes from Kent’s allocation statistics). Pupils: of 225 places. Free school meals: pupils eligible, a measure of family income.

After Year 11 · age 16

Where do pupils go at 16?

72%stayed in education after Year 11
This school72%
Kent88%
England86%

DfE Key Stage 4 destination measures · 32 pupils who left Year 11 in 2023

Of the 32 pupils who finished Year 11 at Bower Grove School in 2023, none moved to a sixth form college, 38% to a further education college and none started an apprenticeship.

Stayed in education — counted only if the pupil was still there for two terms of the next year; apprenticeships and jobs are counted the same way.

Full breakdown11
MeasureBower Grove SchoolKentEngland
Pupils in the cohort3217,954607,348
Any sustained destination75%93%92%
Stayed in education72%88%86%
— school sixth form0%56%34%
— sixth form college0%—13%
— further education college38%28%37%
— other education34%4%2%
Apprenticeship0%3%3%
Employment3%2%3%
No sustained destination0%5%6%
Destination unknown25%3%3%
GCSE · Year 11 · 2025

How do GCSE results compare?

8.9Attainment 8 score, out of 90
This school8.9
Kent46.7
England46.1

Attainment 8 — average GCSE points across eight subjects, English and maths counted twice; grade 5 in everything scores 50.

DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · 29 pupils in Year 11

76% of pupils here are disadvantaged (England 28%). Disadvantaged pupils here scored 8.2 — below disadvantaged pupils across England (34.9).

0% got grade 5 or above in both English and maths (Kent 47%, England 45%).

Grade 5 — a “strong pass”; grade 4 is a “standard pass”. Progress 8 is not published for 2025: this cohort had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020–21, so there is no baseline.

All GCSE measures10
MeasureBower Grove SchoolKentEngland
Attainment 8 (average points per pupil)8.946.746.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths0%47%45%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths0%65%65%
Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects0%47%41%
EBacc average point score0.794.184.09
Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort76%25%28%
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils8.232.234.9
Attainment 8 — other pupils10.951.550.4
Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2)———
English as an additional language0%12%19%
Subjects · 2025

What do pupils study?

46.97%of the Key Stage 3 and GCSE curriculum mapped by the subjects taken here

Mapped — the share of the 2,029 learning outcomes the Department for Education sets for these stages that the subjects taken here cover, weighted by how many pupils take each.

DfE subject entries 2025 · curriculum catalogue by sch.today

Health & Safety37%
Green & Sustainability37%
Natural Sciences37%
Engineering & Manufacturing32%
Mathematics & Statistics24%

Fields of knowledge — twelve fields the curriculum catalogue sorts every learning outcome into; the bars show the GCSE and A level ring.

GCSE subjects6

Entries as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEnglandGrades 7–9EnglandGrades 4–9
Biology2069%23%0%45%0%
Physics2069%23%0%46%0%
Chemistry1966%23%0%47%0%
Mathematics1966%88%0%22%11%
English Language1655%89%0%20%6%
Combined Science13%65%—9%—
Fields of knowledge, all stages12
Natural Sciences49%
Green & Sustainability48%
Health & Safety48%
Engineering & Manufacturing38%
Language & Communication34%
Mathematics & Statistics32%
Transversal Skills31%
Digital & ICT Skills15%
Arts & Humanities9%
Law & Public Administration7%
Social & Cultural Skills5%
Business & Administration3%

Ideas pupils meet most, weighted by the share of the cohort taking the subjects that teach them:

fraction 12.6percentage 8.6ratio 8.0particle model 7.0vocabulary 6.7power 6.3gradient 6.3energy transfer 6.3reflection 6.1translation 5.6change of state 5.4standard form 5.4equation 5.3formulae 5.0root 4.9audience 4.9adaptation 4.8photosynthesis 4.7area 4.7grammar 4.7temperature 4.6density 4.1scale 4.1state of matter 4.1

Coverage counts a subject’s outcomes in proportion to the share of the cohort entered for it; Combined Science counts as two thirds of the three separate sciences. Levels follow ISCED 2011 as UNESCO maps it for the UK: Key Stage 3 is ISCED 2; GCSE and A level are both ISCED 3. Methodology: about the data.

Careers

Which jobs use what’s taught here?

12apprenticeship standards closely match the subjects pupils take

A match of what’s taught, not of entry requirements: the standards whose knowledge and skills share the most ideas with the GCSEs and A levels taken here, weighted by how many pupils take each subject.

Level 3 / Level 6 — England’s qualification levels: 3 is A level standard, 4–5 are higher apprenticeships, 6 is a bachelor’s degree.

Skills England apprenticeship standards (Open Government Licence v3.0) · ESCO occupations, © European Union, matched by sch.today · how the match works

Water industry asset maintenance technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses unit conversion, ratio, scale from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and 5 more · jobs: consumer electronics repair technician, industrial electrician, electrician
Process industry manufacturing technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses conservation of mass, energy change, unit conversion from Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and 3 more · jobs: chemical engineering technician, chemical manufacturing quality technician, chemical production manager
ScientistLevel 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses sampling technique, experimental design, conclusion from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and 1 more · jobs: physicist, analytical chemist, geneticist
More apprenticeships9
Science manufacturing technician 2023Level 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses unit conversion, dna, mixture from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and 2 more · jobs: pharmaceutical engineer, chemical manufacturing quality technician, pharmacy technician
Geoscientist (integrated degree)Level 6 degree apprenticeship · health and science · uses climate change, data interpretation, data collection from Biology, Chemistry, Computing and 2 more · jobs: geologist, geological engineer, exploration geologist
Battery manufacturing technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses unit conversion, area, resistance from Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and 2 more · jobs: battery test technician
Water industry network technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses unit conversion, standard form, ph scale from Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and 2 more · jobs: sewerage network operative, product quality inspector, sewerage maintenance technician
Non-destructive technologies technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses ratio, si unit, measurement from Biology, Mathematics, Physics and 2 more
Junior visual effects - VFX artist or assistant technical director - ATDLevel 4 (higher) apprenticeship · creative and design · uses scale, data collection, computer systems from Chemistry, Physics, Computing and 3 more · jobs: 3D modeller, technical director, animation layout artist
Aerospace engineerLevel 6 degree apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses equilibrium, friction, composite from Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and 1 more · jobs: aerodynamics engineer, aerospace engineer, aircraft maintenance technician
Heat network maintenance technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses climate change, temperature, scale from Chemistry, Physics, Geography and 1 more · jobs: maintenance and repair engineer, lean manager
Water industry treatment process technicianLevel 3 (advanced) apprenticeship · engineering and manufacturing · uses standard form, unit conversion, si unit from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and 1 more · jobs: wastewater treatment technician, water plant technician, recycling specialist
Admissions

How do you get a place?

Places at special schools are allocated through an Education, Health and Care plan with Kent, not by distance.

  1. Any timeAsk Kent’s SEND team to name the school in the child’s EHC plan; the school is consulted before a place is offered
Kent

Compare with nearby schools

Stayed in education at 16 · Attainment 8 · pupils

Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.