Best Schools in Sheffield

How many schools are there in Sheffield?

Sheffield has 235 open schools: 166 state primary, 36 state secondary or all-through, 5 independent, 19 special and 9 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Sheffield are rated Outstanding?

20 schools in Sheffield were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Brightside Nursery Infant School, Phoenix School of Therapeutic Education, Aston Fence Junior and Infant School, Stannington Infant School, Mosborough Primary School and 15 more. Counting Good as well, 93% of the 185 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.

Brightside Nursery Infant SchoolPhoenix School of Therapeutic EducationAston Fence Junior and Infant SchoolStannington Infant SchoolMosborough Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Sheffield get the best GCSE results?

Of the 38 schools in Sheffield with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Mercia School, with an Attainment 8 score of 66.6 and 79% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Silverdale School, with an Attainment 8 score of 61.3 and 75% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and High Storrs School, with an Attainment 8 score of 59.7 and 74% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Mercia SchoolSilverdale SchoolHigh Storrs School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Sheffield have the best SATs results?

3 of the 139 primary schools in Sheffield with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths: Bradfield Dungworth Primary School, Marsh Lane Primary School and Oxspring Primary School. Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Bradfield Dungworth Primary SchoolMarsh Lane Primary SchoolOxspring Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Sheffield?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Sheffield have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Sheffield 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 Sheffield?

Apply to your council - Sheffield, Rotherham 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.