Discover RGS

"Hello and welcome to our Virtual Open Day, I’m Clare Brinklow, the Principal at Rochester Grammar School. My team and I are passionate and dedicated to our ethos of “excellence for all”; we have the highest expectations of all of our learners in terms of their commitment to academic achievement, respect for others and contribution to the school community.

"Here at Rochester Grammar school you'll usually find an excitable hum from all classrooms, our students are animated and creative and we encourage this with collaborative work and in-class discussions.

"We focus on raising aspirations and delivering excellence. Our Mission Statement, “Transforming Life Chances”, articulates the strength of personal support, care and guidance given to each learner.

As part of the Thinking Schools Academy Trust, we take pride in the unique approach we take to education: we provide our children with the skills and tools they need to think in a variety of ways and become lifelong learners. The transferrable Thinking Tools that we teach our pupils are designed to prepare them for the range of scenarios, dilemmas and circumstances that they may face in later life as part of modern society.

As part of our journey toward being acknowledged as a centre of best practice in this field, we recently gained Level 2 Advanced Accreditation as a Thinking School from University of Exeter’s prestigious Cognitive Education Development Unit. We are delighted to be part of this illustrious company with only a handful of schools in the country having received this accreditation. 

At RGS, we believe the International Baccalaureate (IB) has a number of benefits, with students studying six subjects; three at a higher level.

Students taking the IB also look into the Theory of Knowledge and complete a range of non-assessed activities designed to encourage students to be involved with a variety of activities outside their academic lessons.

This means a package can be tailored to allow them to excel in their strengths while expanding their skills in a wide range of fields, both academic and otherwise. The IB puts students in a very strong position in terms of both university admissions and today’s highly competitive careers market.

We are very proud that several students at our school have achieved the maximum 45 points, placing them in the top 0.3% of students worldwide, and that many more have won places at the world’s best universities. Below our Head Girl, April, shares why she chose to take the IB.

School uniform plays a valuable role in contributing to the aims and values of the school and sets an appropriate tone. Personal presentation is important because it establishes good working habits and we want to make sure that every student develops a sense of pride in how they look. Students are ambassadors for The Rochester Grammar School. and their behaviour when in uniform, including going to and from school, reflects on the school.

A well-worn uniform supports excellent behaviour, emphasises equality amongst young people and reflects the pride that our students have in being part of our community. Correct uniform must be worn at all times. 

The RGS uniform consists of the blue blazer with RGS badging, blue school blouse with flat V-shaped 'revere' collar with RGS logo, and tartan skirt. 

1. WHO THEY ARE: Affectionately nicknamed Our Trust, it’s effectively the family name for the 18 schools in Our Trust. The schools within Our Trust are situated across Medway, Deal, Hampshire and Plymouth.

2. WHY A THINKING SCHOOL IS THE ONE FOR YOUR CHILD: A Thinking School challenges students to think deeply about their thinking, to be their best self and to gain the knowledge, tools and skills to shape their success in a life beyond school.

The children and young people we're presently educating will retire around 2070. According to experts most of the jobs our children will have don't even exist yet, and this is why developing skills to think independently and become life-long learners is so important.

3. HOW A THINKING SCHOOL WORKS: Our cognitive approach to education defines us but does not create a 'one size fits all'. Each and every member of the TSAT family is equally as important and shares a direction and ethos; put simply, we believe that we are stronger together.

Our schools work with each student so they are aspirational and ready to move forward and understand their role within their local community and beyond. The Thinking School approach to education is unique and we believe that it genuinely transforms the life chances of our children, teaching them the critical thinking skills they need to be resilient in life after school.