A grammar will benefit from a share of £50 million to help it expand after the government pledged to improve access for poorer pupils.

Rochester Grammar School is one of 16 nationwide to benefit from the first round of Selective School Expansion Fund money.

It will receive £3.5m allowing it to expand by 30 places per year, an overall addition of 205 pupils.

Over the next four years £200m will be made available to grammar schools.

To get the funding, the Thinking Schools Academy Trust school, on Maidstone Road, Rochester, has pledged to team up with two secondary schools to create a grammar stream and work with primary schools in the area with high numbers of disadvantaged pupils.

It will also make it easier for these children to get a place at the school by moving from a system which prioritises pupils who score highest in the Medway Test to one which favours those who meet the pass mark, live closest to the site, which is in a deprived area, and are eligible for the pupil premium.

Priority will also be given to pupils attending selected 'feeder' primaries, which are members of the same trust.

It comes as Ofsted’s annual report, released today, shows Medway ranked among the 10 worst in the country for its primary schools.

Sports and choir sessions, priority taster events and maths and literacy support will be provided while additional information on the Kent Test will be included on the girls school's website.

The school already provides help with school trips and uniform to disadvantaged families but will make more aware of this in future.

Headteacher Clare Brinklow said: “The funding will allow even more students to benefit from the outstanding education we provide at RGS. We are proud to offer opportunities to students of all backgrounds.

“The funding is a key milestone in our school’s continuing upward trajectory, and I would like to thank all those who work so hard every day to help our students achieve their potential.“

Trust chief executive Stuart Gardner added: “The funding is a credit to RGS’ exceptional performance and its ambition to offer the best opportunities for local students.

“Thinking Schools’ mission is to enable all of our students to realise their potential, whatever their background, and this is another vitally important step towards achieving that vision.”

Education Secretary Damian Hinds said: "One of the stand-out features of this country’s education system is its diversity, and selective schools are an important part of that.

"They include some of the best schools in this country, with almost all selective schools rated good or outstanding, and they are popular with parents.

"So it is right that when there is need for more places in an area, these schools should be able to expand – as other schools can – to enable as many children as possible to benefit.

"I have always been clear that selective schools will only be able to expand if they meet the high bar we have set for increasing access for disadvantaged children, and all of these schools have done that.

"As a result, countless more children from disadvantaged areas will benefit from places at outstanding schools."

Rochester is the only grammar in Kent to benefit.

The announcement follows a so-called memorandum of understanding agreed between the government and the Grammar School Heads Association (GSHA) earlier this year.

In it, the group outlined its commitment to widening access and working with local schools to raise standards for all children.

Jim Skinner, chief executive of the Grammar School Heads Association, said: "We are delighted selective schools are being supported to expand.

"It is really important that, just like other good and outstanding schools, they are able to grow to meet parental demand, especially at a time of significant growth in the number of pupils reaching secondary age.

"The large majority of selective schools now prioritise access for disadvantaged pupils, which is backed up by outreach and partnership work with local schools.

"Selective schools are therefore well placed to contribute to meeting the ongoing need for more school places and supporting high quality education provision elsewhere."