The Howard School Kent

What The Howard School Kent does

The Howard School is a state-funded secondary school located in Rainham, Kent, England, founded in 1975 and operating as part of The Howard Academy Trust (THAT), a multi-academy trust led by CEO Owen McColgan. The school is led by Principal Mr Johal and serves over 2,000 students across Years 7-13, offering a comprehensive secondary education (GCSE pathway) plus a Sixth Form providing post-16 qualifications and university preparation. The curriculum spans 16 subject areas including Art, Business Studies, Computing, English, Mathematics, Sciences, and Modern Foreign Languages, supplemented by character education, personal development programmes, an extensive extra-curricular activity set, a House Championship system, and an annual Festival of Sport.

The school does not operate as a commercial technology product; its 'technology stack' consists of operational and administrative tooling — Arbor for student information management, Unifrog for careers guidance, and Juniper Education for the website, alongside standard content embedding tools (Vimeo, YouTube, Google Maps, Adobe InDesign). The revenue model is state-funded: the school receives allocations from the local authority (Medway Council), the Education and Skills Funding Agency, Pupil Premium grants, and Catch-Up Funding, with no tuition fees charged to families. Distribution runs through the standard UK coordinated admissions scheme, supplemented by Open Events, a virtual tour, and a digital prospectus.

In June 2026 the school secured the first 'Exceptional' Ofsted criteria grading for a secondary school in Kent under the new framework, with Personal Development and Wellbeing judged 'Exceptional' and four further 'Strong Standard' judgements. It also holds UNICEF Rights Respecting Gold Level status — the only secondary school in Kent or Medway to do so — alongside Investors in People, Eco Schools, Wellbeing Award, and Artsmark accreditations. In April 2026 it hosted Minister of State Sarah Jones MP for a knife crime prevention policy discussion.

Name

The Howard School Kent

Legal name

The Howard School

Website

https://thehowardschool.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Howard School is a state-funded secondary school in Rainham, Kent, serving over 2,000 students across Years 7-13 under Principal Mr Johal and The Howard Academy Trust, with GCSE and Sixth Form programmes, an Exceptional Ofsted rating, and UNICEF Gold accreditation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Instructional Delivery & Pedagogy (School-Led) (EDAJAFAB)

Keywords

• Secondary education services
• Sixth form education
• Comprehensive schooling
• Gcse a-level programs
• State-funded schooling

Headquarters

HQ city

Rainham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Howard School is a state-funded comprehensive secondary school and Sixth Form in Rainham, Kent, providing full-time education to over 2,000 students across Years 7-13. Its core offering is secondary education (Years 7-11) following the national curriculum across 16 subject areas, followed by a post-16 Sixth Form programme delivering A-Level equivalent courses, university preparation, and enrichment activities. The school delivers these through classroom instruction, personal development programs, careers guidance, extra-curricular activities, and the House Championship system.

Product overview

The Howard School is a secondary school offering a unified educational service spanning Years 7-13. The core offering comprises secondary education (Years 7-11) with an extensive curriculum covering 16 subject areas, supplemented by a Sixth Form programme providing post-16 qualifications and university preparation. Additional services include a comprehensive careers guidance programme, extra-curricular activities, and the House Championship system which includes the annual Festival of Sport. The school operates as part of The Howard Academy Trust.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Secondary Education (Years 7-11) Comprehensive secondary school education for students aged 11-16 across Years 7 to 11, following the national curriculum with a focus on academic achievement, GCSE qualifications, character education, and personal development. Includes a broad curriculum spanning 16 subject areas.
• Sixth Form Education (Years 12-13)

Quantifiable outcome

• Personal Development and Wellbeing judged 'Exceptional' by Ofsted - transformational impact particularly for most vulnerable learners
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• The Howard Academy Trust (THAT)coreOthersThe Howard School is part of The Howard Academy Trust, a multi-academy trust providing shared governance, moral purpose, and collaborative educational approach across member schools. The trust is led by CEO Owen McColgan.
• UnifrogcoreTechnology or IntegrationCareer guidance platform used by the school to support students with university applications, career planning, and subject selection. Part of the formal careers curriculum.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Holcombe Grammar School: Selective boys' grammar school in Chatham, Medway. One of several grammar alternatives Howard families consider, particularly for STEM-oriented progression.
• The Rochester Grammar School: Selective girls' grammar in Rochester, Medway. Comparable academically selective alternative for female pupils in the same local authority as The Howard School.
• The Robert Napier School: Large state-funded secondary school in Gillingham, Medway, directly competing for the same Year 7 catchment as The Howard School. Same funding model and demographic, making it the closest benchmark on outcomes and demand.
• Fort Pitt Grammar School: Selective girls' grammar school in Chatham, Medway. Another grammar-school alternative in the local authority, anchoring the upper end of secondary choice against Howard.
• Brompton Academy: Secondary academy in Gillingham within the same Medway local authority as The Howard School. Competes for the same Year 7 intake and offers a directly comparable non-selective comprehensive model.
• Chatham Grammar School: Selective grammar school in Chatham, Medway, competing for high-attaining pupils in the same local authority. Provides a benchmark for selective secondary outcomes in the area.
• Greenacre Academy: Secondary academy in Chatham, Medway, serving a comparable non-selective comprehensive cohort. Direct peer on student demographics, funding model and curriculum breadth.
• The Victory Academy: Medway-based secondary academy serving a comparable 11–18 cohort under the Thinking Schools Academy Trust. Overlaps directly with Howard on curriculum structure, sixth-form provision and catchment competition.
• Rainham Mark Grammar School: Selective grammar school located in Rainham, the same town as The Howard School. Competes for the same pool of higher-attaining pupils in the Medway area and is a primary destination alternative for academically selective families.
• St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive School: Faith-based secondary comprehensive in Medway, serving a similar non-selective cohort from overlapping postcodes. Direct competitor for families prioritising values-based, inclusive secondary provision.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/827400756061395
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thehowardschool-kent

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Howard School Kent