Best Schools in Brentwood

How many schools are there in Brentwood?

Brentwood has 29 open schools: 19 state primary, 5 state secondary or all-through, 3 independent and 2 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Brentwood are rated Outstanding?

3 schools in Brentwood were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, South Weald; Shenfield St. Mary's Church of England Primary School; and Becket Keys Church of England Free School. Counting Good as well, 100% of the 23 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.

St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, South WealdShenfield St. Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolBecket Keys Church of England Free School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Brentwood get the best GCSE results?

Of the 6 schools in Brentwood with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 63.2 and 84% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Becket Keys Church of England Free School, with an Attainment 8 score of 55.5 and 64% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and St Martin's School Brentwood, with an Attainment 8 score of 49.9 and 55% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Brentwood Ursuline Convent High SchoolBecket Keys Church of England Free SchoolSt Martin's School Brentwood

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Brentwood have the best SATs results?

Of the 17 primary schools in Brentwood with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, South Weald (98% in reading, 100% in maths); Shenfield St. Mary's Church of England Primary School (97% in reading, 93% in maths); and Mountnessing Church of England Primary School (100% in reading, 88% 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 Peter's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, South WealdShenfield St. Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolMountnessing Church of England Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Brentwood?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Brentwood have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Brentwood have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Essex 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 Brentwood?

Apply to Essex 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.