Best Schools in Reading

How many schools are there in Reading?

Reading has 160 open schools: 103 state primary, 23 state secondary or all-through, 15 independent, 12 special and 7 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Reading are rated Outstanding?

18 schools in Reading were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Haywards Farm School, Cressex Lodge School, Birch Copse Primary School, Reading School, Kendrick School and 13 more. Counting Good as well, 95% of the 117 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.

Haywards Farm SchoolCressex Lodge SchoolBirch Copse Primary SchoolReading SchoolKendrick School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Reading get the best GCSE results?

Of the 23 schools in Reading with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Kendrick School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 82.4 and 99% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Reading School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 80.6 and 97% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and The Piggott School, with an Attainment 8 score of 61 and 72% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Selective schools admit by ability, so their raw results are not a like-for-like comparison with comprehensives. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Kendrick SchoolReading SchoolThe Piggott School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Reading have the best SATs results?

Of the 82 primary schools in Reading with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at All Saints Junior School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); Whitchurch Primary School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); and Whiteknights Primary School (97% in reading, 98% 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.

All Saints Junior SchoolWhitchurch Primary SchoolWhiteknights Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Reading?

Yes. Kendrick School and Reading School are state grammar schools in Reading. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Kendrick SchoolReading School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

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

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. Wokingham published how far the last place offered went at these schools: Maiden Erlegh School, 0.844 miles for 2024 entry; Waingels, 2.119 miles for 2024 entry. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

Maiden Erlegh SchoolWaingels

Source: Wokingham admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in Reading?

Apply to your council - Reading, West Berkshire or Wokingham, 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.