Best Schools in Rayleigh

How many schools are there in Rayleigh?

Rayleigh has 10 open schools: 8 state primary and 2 state secondary or all-through.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Rayleigh are rated Outstanding?

1 school in Rayleigh was rated Outstanding at its most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Grove Wood Primary School. Counting Good as well, 78% of the 9 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.

Grove Wood Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Rayleigh get the best GCSE results?

Of the 2 schools in Rayleigh with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at The FitzWimarc School, with an Attainment 8 score of 47.3 and 42% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and The Sweyne Park School, with an Attainment 8 score of 41.3 and 36% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

The FitzWimarc SchoolThe Sweyne Park School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Rayleigh have the best SATs results?

Of the 8 primary schools in Rayleigh with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Down Hall Primary School (94% in reading, 87% in maths); Our Lady of Ransom Catholic Primary School (88% in reading, 89% in maths); and Rayleigh Primary School (87% in reading, 89% 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.

Down Hall Primary SchoolOur Lady of Ransom Catholic Primary SchoolRayleigh Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Rayleigh?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Rayleigh have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Rayleigh 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 Rayleigh?

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.