Best Schools in Loughton

How many schools are there in Loughton?

Loughton has 14 open schools: 8 state primary, 3 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent and 2 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Loughton are rated Outstanding?

2 schools in Loughton were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Hereward Primary School and Debden Park High School. Counting Good as well, 100% of the 12 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.

Hereward Primary SchoolDebden Park High School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Loughton get the best GCSE results?

Of the 3 schools in Loughton with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Davenant Foundation School, with an Attainment 8 score of 54.9 and 68% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Debden Park High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 47.4 and 46% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Roding Valley High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 44.2 and 45% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Davenant Foundation SchoolDebden Park High SchoolRoding Valley High School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Loughton have the best SATs results?

Of the 7 primary schools in Loughton with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Hereward Primary School (95% in reading, 95% in maths); Thomas Willingale Primary School and Nursery (90% in reading, 88% in maths); and Staples Road Primary School (86% in reading, 86% 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.

Hereward Primary SchoolThomas Willingale Primary School and NurseryStaples Road Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Loughton?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Loughton have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Loughton 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 Loughton?

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.