Best Schools in Staffordshire

How many schools are there in Staffordshire?

Staffordshire has 500 open schools: 345 state primary, 83 state secondary or all-through, 11 independent, 49 special and 12 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Staffordshire are rated Outstanding?

50 schools in Staffordshire were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Aurora Hanley School, Sporting Stars Academy, Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group, Whitfield Valley Primary Academy, Newstead Primary Academy and 45 more. Counting Good as well, 91% of the 418 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.

Aurora Hanley SchoolSporting Stars AcademyNewcastle and Stafford Colleges GroupWhitfield Valley Primary AcademyNewstead Primary Academy

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Staffordshire get the best GCSE results?

Of the 77 schools in Staffordshire with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at St Joseph's College (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 63.6 and 84% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; The Friary School, with an Attainment 8 score of 58.5 and 65% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Painsley Catholic College, with an Attainment 8 score of 56.3 and 60% 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.

St Joseph's CollegeThe Friary SchoolPainsley Catholic College

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Staffordshire have the best SATs results?

4 of the 258 primary schools in Staffordshire with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths, among them Blessed Mother Teresa's Catholic Primary School, Haughton St Giles CofE Primary Academy and Mary Howard 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.

Blessed Mother Teresa's Catholic Primary SchoolHaughton St Giles CofE Primary AcademyMary Howard Church of England Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Staffordshire?

Yes. St Joseph's College is a state grammar school in Staffordshire. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

St Joseph's College

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

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

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. Staffordshire published how far the last place offered went at these schools: Abbot Beyne School, 3.524 miles for 2026 entry; Alsagers Bank Primary Academy, 3.157 miles for 2026 entry; Anna Seward Primary, 0.563 miles for 2026 entry; Beaconfields Primary School, 0.325 miles for 2026 entry; Blythe Bridge High School, 4.576 miles for 2026 entry. We hold figures for 71 schools in Staffordshire; each school's page has its own history. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

Abbot Beyne SchoolAlsagers Bank Primary AcademyAnna Seward PrimaryBeaconfields Primary SchoolBlythe Bridge High School

Source: Staffordshire admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in Staffordshire?

Apply to your council - Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent or Warwickshire, 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.