Best Schools in Barking

These schools serve pupils with particular needs, so they aren't ranked against mainstream schools on exam results. Places are usually arranged through the council, often via an Education, Health and Care plan.

Riverside Bridge SchoolAges 4-16 · Good

Questions parents ask about schools in Barking

How many schools are there in Barking?

Barking has 18 open schools: 12 state primary, 4 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent and 1 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Barking are rated Outstanding?

3 schools in Barking were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Thames View Infants; Barking Abbey School, A Specialist Sports and Humanities College; and Riverside School. Counting Good as well, 100% of the 17 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Thames View Infants Barking Abbey School, A Specialist Sports and Humanities College Riverside School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Barking get the best GCSE results?

Of the 4 schools in Barking with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Riverside School, with an Attainment 8 score of 57.9 and 64% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Barking Abbey School, A Specialist Sports and Humanities College, with an Attainment 8 score of 48.7 and 52% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Eastbury Community School, with an Attainment 8 score of 47 and 44% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Riverside School Barking Abbey School, A Specialist Sports and Humanities College Eastbury Community School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Barking have the best SATs results?

Of the 11 primary schools in Barking with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); St Margarets CofE Primary School (91% in reading, 98% in maths); and Eastbury Community School (89% in reading, 91% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School St Margarets CofE Primary School Eastbury Community School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Barking?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Barking selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Barking have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Barking have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Barking and Dagenham allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Barking?

Apply to Barking and Dagenham through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.