Best Schools in Somerset

How many schools are there in Somerset?

Somerset has 416 open schools: 307 state primary, 52 state secondary or all-through, 18 independent, 29 special and 10 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Somerset are rated Outstanding?

23 schools in Somerset were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Swainswick Church School, Fiveways Special School, Marchant Holliday School, Preston CofE Primary School, The Castle School and 18 more. Counting Good as well, 92% of the 310 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.

Swainswick Church SchoolFiveways Special SchoolMarchant Holliday SchoolPreston CofE Primary SchoolThe Castle School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Somerset get the best GCSE results?

Of the 49 schools in Somerset with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Hayesfield Girls School, with an Attainment 8 score of 59.9 and 67% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Beechen Cliff School, with an Attainment 8 score of 56.4 and 70% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Ralph Allen School, with an Attainment 8 score of 53.8 and 66% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Hayesfield Girls SchoolBeechen Cliff SchoolRalph Allen School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Somerset have the best SATs results?

3 of the 225 primary schools in Somerset with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths: Pensford Primary School, Shoscombe Church School and Stoke St Gregory Church of England 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.

Pensford Primary SchoolShoscombe Church SchoolStoke St Gregory Church of England Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Somerset?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

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

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. Bath and North East Somerset published how far the last place offered went at these schools: Chew Stoke Church School, 2.749 miles for 2026 entry; Chew Valley School, 4.375 miles for 2026 entry; Clutton Primary School, 2.364 miles for 2026 entry; Freshford Church School, 1.843 miles for 2026 entry; Hayesfield Girls School, 4.308 miles for 2026 entry. We hold figures for 22 schools in Somerset; each school's page has its own history. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

Chew Stoke Church SchoolChew Valley SchoolClutton Primary SchoolFreshford Church SchoolHayesfield Girls School

Source: Bath and North East Somerset admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in Somerset?

Apply to your council - Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset or North Somerset, 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.