Astor Secondary School
Academy converter · sixth form · 732 pupils
72% stayed in education · Attainment 8 27.9
Foundation school
The Malling School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,051of 1,003 places
- Free school meals
- 32.0%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 162
- Ofsted
- Good, 28 March 2023Read the Ofsted report
What the data says
Of the 182 pupils who finished Year 11 at The Malling School in 2023, 49% stayed on in The Malling School’s own sixth form (Kent average 56%), 31% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 34 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 32% went to university (Kent 39%, England 37%), and 12% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 41.0 against 46.1 across England and 46.7 in Kent, with 27% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Spanish is unusually popular at GCSE: 44% of the year group took it, against 19% of pupils across England.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Kent and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | The Malling School | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 182 | 17,954 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 93% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 82% | 88% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 49% | 56% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 1% | — | 13% |
| — further education college | 31% | 28% | 37% |
| — other education | 2% | 4% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 7% | 2% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 3% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | The Malling School | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 34 | 14,947 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 82% | 80% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 32% | 39% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 12% | 20% | 19% |
| Further education | 9% | 4% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 9% | 6% | 7% |
| Employment | 29% | 30% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 12% | 15% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | The Malling School | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 41.0 | 46.7 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 27% | 47% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 54% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 49% | 47% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.61 | 4.18 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 26% | 25% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 34.9 | 32.2 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 43.1 | 51.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 1% | 12% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 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.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 158 | 98% | 88% | 7% | 22% | 63% |
| English Language | 158 | 98% | 89% | 11% | 20% | 65% |
| English Literature | 152 | 94% | 86% | 9% | 21% | 64% |
| Combined Science | 150 | 93% | 65% | 9% | 9% | 58% |
| Geography | 90 | 56% | 41% | 14% | 25% | 58% |
| History | 78 | 48% | 41% | 12% | 26% | 49% |
| Spanish | 72 | 44% | 19% | 1% | 27% | 44% |
| Sociology | 32 | 20% | 4% | 13% | 21% | 66% |
| Art and Design | 29 | 18% | 7% | 21% | 24% | 90% |
| Psychology | 27 | 17% | 3% | 19% | 22% | 70% |
| Computer Science | 26 | 16% | 13% | 38% | 30% | 73% |
| Business Studies | 22 | 14% | 18% | 18% | 20% | 55% |
| 3D Design | 16 | 10% | 2% | 0% | 16% | 31% |
| Physical Education | 12 | 7% | 11% | 33% | 24% | 83% |
| Biology | 8 | 5% | 23% | 25% | 45% | 75% |
| French | 7 | 4% | 18% | 0% | 29% | 29% |
| Chemistry | 6 | 4% | 23% | 33% | 47% | 100% |
| Physics | 6 | 4% | 23% | 50% | 46% | 100% |
| Fine Art | 5 | 3% | 9% | — | 28% | — |
| Textiles | 5 | 3% | 2% | — | 27% | — |
| Citizenship Studies | 3 | 2% | 3% | — | 19% | — |
| German | 1 | 1% | 5% | — | 33% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 42 | — | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 29 | — | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 17 | — | — |
| Speech and Drama | 12 | — | — |
| Music performance: Group | 11 | — | — |
| Dance: General | 11 | — | — |
| Personal Health | 6 | — | — |
| Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined) | 1 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Kent
Aylesford School
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 916 pupils
73% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.6
Barton Court Grammar School
Academy converter · sixth form · 995 pupils
97% stayed in education · Attainment 8 66.4
Bennett Memorial Diocesan School
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,913 pupils
95% stayed in education · Attainment 8 54.0
Borden Grammar School
Academy converter · sixth form · 938 pupils
94% stayed in education · Attainment 8 63.2
Brockhill Park Performing Arts College
Academy converter · sixth form · 1,314 pupils
86% stayed in education · Attainment 8 37.4
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.