Best Schools in Caterham

How many schools are there in Caterham?

Caterham has 16 open schools: 7 state primary, 1 state secondary or all-through, 6 independent and 2 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Caterham are rated Outstanding?

2 schools in Caterham were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Sunnydown School and Hillcroft Primary School & Nursery. Counting Good as well, 100% of the 8 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.

Sunnydown SchoolHillcroft Primary School & Nursery

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Caterham get the best GCSE results?

Of the 2 schools in Caterham with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at de Stafford School, with an Attainment 8 score of 45.3 and 40% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Sunnydown School, with an Attainment 8 score of 28.1 and 19% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

de Stafford SchoolSunnydown School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Caterham have the best SATs results?

Of the 6 primary schools in Caterham with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Audley Primary School (92% in reading, 96% in maths); Woodlea Primary School (93% in reading, 86% in maths); and St Francis Catholic Primary School (89% in reading, 85% 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.

Audley Primary SchoolWoodlea Primary SchoolSt Francis Catholic Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Caterham?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

How close do you need to live to get into schools in Caterham?

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. Surrey published how far the last place offered went at this school: de Stafford School, 8.97 km for 2026 entry. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

de Stafford School

Source: Surrey admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in Caterham?

Apply to Surrey 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.