Chatham's schools are better than its reputation. Nine in ten graded schools across Medway come out good or better. Primary maths results are solid. Two grammar schools sit on the secondary list. The town gets judged on its high street, and the classrooms rarely get a look.
At primary level there are 25 mainstream state primaries in the area, and pupils average about 104 in maths at the end of primary. Nothing about that number needs defending. The names read like a map of the town. Luton Primary School carries the name of the old village in the valley behind the High Street, and Walderslade Primary School serves the suburb up the hill. The modelled walk to the nearest primary is about seven minutes, on the Department for Transport's 2019 figures. That's short enough that the school run should be a walk, and the car comes out anyway.
At secondary level, the 10 mainstream state secondaries in the area post a pupil-weighted Attainment 8 score of about 43. That's respectable rather than glossy. The list covers the range. Chatham Grammar and Fort Pitt Grammar School are the two that parents start talking about years before the forms are due. The Victory Academy carries a name borrowed from the town's shipbuilding past and makes no apology for it. The modelled walk to the nearest secondary is about 18 minutes, so secondary pupils either walk it or take the bus.
Ofsted's grades are the strongest evidence for the defence. Across Medway as a whole, not just Chatham, 37 of the 40 schools with a published overall grade are rated good or better, which is almost all of them. Four are outstanding. One requires improvement and two are inadequate, so the tail exists, but it's short. Another 47 settings have no published grade yet. That means they haven't been graded, not that they're poor.
None of these names comes with a guaranteed place. Admissions run on the council's rules, not on which school you can see from the bedroom window. Buyers who pay extra to be near a particular school without reading the admissions criteria often find the rules were honest all along, just not in their favour. Check the current policy for the school you want before you check the size of the garden.
Schools are one of Chatham's real strengths, and the part of the town most often left out of its reputation.