Best Schools in Nottingham

How many schools are there in Nottingham?

Nottingham has 310 open schools: 225 state primary, 49 state secondary or all-through, 12 independent, 17 special and 7 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Nottingham are rated Outstanding?

29 schools in Nottingham were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Hucknall Flying High Academy, Redhill Academy, Fernwood School, The West Bridgford School, Sneinton St Stephen's CofE Primary School and 24 more. Counting Good as well, 95% of the 267 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.

Hucknall Flying High AcademyRedhill AcademyFernwood SchoolThe West Bridgford SchoolSneinton St Stephen's CofE Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Nottingham get the best GCSE results?

Of the 46 schools in Nottingham with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at The West Bridgford School, with an Attainment 8 score of 61.4 and 77% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Rushcliffe Spencer Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 58.3 and 74% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Toot Hill School, with an Attainment 8 score of 55.2 and 70% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

The West Bridgford SchoolRushcliffe Spencer AcademyToot Hill School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Nottingham have the best SATs results?

Of the 187 primary schools in Nottingham with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Bunny CofE Primary and Nursery School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); St Teresa's Catholic Primary School (98% in reading, 98% in maths); and Chetwynd Spencer Academy (97% in reading, 95% 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.

Bunny CofE Primary and Nursery SchoolSt Teresa's Catholic Primary SchoolChetwynd Spencer Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Nottingham?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Nottingham have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Nottingham have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, the council 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 Nottingham?

Apply to your council - Nottinghamshire, Nottingham or Derbyshire, depending on your address - 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.