Best Schools in South Yorkshire

How many schools are there in South Yorkshire?

South Yorkshire has 554 open schools: 415 state primary, 74 state secondary or all-through, 6 independent, 40 special and 19 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in South Yorkshire are rated Outstanding?

46 schools in South Yorkshire were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Brightside Nursery Infant School, Phoenix School of Therapeutic Education, Gawber Primary School, Thomas Rotherham College, Aston Fence Junior and Infant School and 41 more. Counting Good as well, 94% of the 460 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 EducationGawber Primary SchoolThomas Rotherham CollegeAston Fence Junior and Infant School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in South Yorkshire get the best GCSE results?

Of the 76 schools in South Yorkshire with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Silverdale School, with an Attainment 8 score of 61.3 and 75% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; High Storrs School, with an Attainment 8 score of 59.7 and 74% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Tapton School & Sixth Form, with an Attainment 8 score of 59.1 and 73% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Silverdale SchoolHigh Storrs SchoolTapton School & Sixth Form

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in South Yorkshire have the best SATs results?

4 of the 364 primary schools in South Yorkshire with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths, among them 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 South Yorkshire?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in South Yorkshire have catchment areas?

Most state schools in South Yorkshire 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 South Yorkshire?

Apply to your council - Sheffield, Doncaster or Rotherham, 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.