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Schools across Dudley

Local authority · 119 schools across 11 towns

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Dudley (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Dudley (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Year 7 dates to calendar Reception dates to calendarHow to apply in Dudley →

Schools in Dudley (119)

Showing 20 of 119 schools

Total Schools

119

78 primary · 19 secondary

Total Pupils

47,675

90% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

34

1 outstanding · 33 good

Capacity

53,140

5,465 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

33
83
Outstanding: 1
Good: 33
Requires Improvement: 2
Not inspected: 83

Best Schools in Dudley

View the full league table - ranked by Ofsted, Progress 8, KS2 results and more

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

34.4

GCSE Eng+Maths

32.5%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

93% full
27,179 pupils29,171 capacity

1,992 spare places

Secondary Schools

95% full
19,043 pupils19,972 capacity

929 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

6.5%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

17.9%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

98

2024/25

Absence trend across Dudley schools

5%
18/19
4.8%
20/21
7.6%
21/22
7.2%
22/23
7%
23/24
6.5%
24/25

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Average across all open schools in this LA.

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

22%

Plans Issued

424

Assessment Requests

953

Tribunal Cases

13

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

48%
2019
25%
2020
43%
2021
40%
2022
45%
2023
49%
2024
22%
2025

Source: DfE EHCP timeliness statistics. Shows how quickly this LA issues Education, Health and Care Plans.

Admission Appeals

2026 admission appeals by school phase

Primary

3,819 admissions

89

Lodged

(2.3%)

45

Heard

6

Successful

(13%)

Primary (infant classes)

3,577 admissions

57

Lodged

(1.6%)

23

Heard

0

Successful

(0%)

Secondary

3,976 admissions

182

Lodged

(4.6%)

123

Heard

8

Successful

(7%)

Total

7,795 admissions

271

Lodged

(3.5%)

168

Heard

14

Successful

(8%)

Total appeals lodged per year

800
2019
706
2020
618
2021
495
2022
545
2023
721
2024
657
2025
599
2026

Source: DfE admission appeals statistics. Shows how competitive school places are in this area.

Towns in Dudley

Dudley

37 schools

Stourbridge

25 schools

Halesowen

20 schools

Brierley Hill

13 schools

Kingswinford

12 schools

Bilston

5 schools

West Midlands

2 schools

DUDLEY

2 schools

HALESOWEN

1 schools

Tipton

1 schools

Pensnett

1 schools

Questions parents ask about schools in Dudley

How many schools are there in Dudley?

Dudley has 119 open schools: 78 state primary, 20 state secondary or all-through, 3 independent, 13 special and 5 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Dudley are rated Outstanding?

4 schools in Dudley were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Lapal Primary School, Cradley CofE Primary School, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School and Netherton Park Nursery School. Counting Good as well, 90% of the 93 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.

Lapal Primary SchoolCradley CofE Primary SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolNetherton Park Nursery School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Dudley get the best GCSE results?

Of the 23 schools in Dudley with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Old Swinford Hospital, with an Attainment 8 score of 57.9 and 71% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Summerhill School, with an Attainment 8 score of 51 and 60% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Kingswinford Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.9 and 58% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Old Swinford HospitalSummerhill SchoolKingswinford Academy

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Dudley have the best SATs results?

Of the 75 primary schools in Dudley with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Our Lady and St Kenelm RC School (97% in reading, 97% in maths); St Chad's Catholic Primary School (97% in reading, 97% in maths); and St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (100% in reading, 93% 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.

Our Lady and St Kenelm RC SchoolSt Chad's Catholic Primary SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Dudley?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Dudley 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 Dudley?

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. Dudley published how far the last place offered went at these schools: Bishop Milner Catholic College, 720 metres for 2026 entry; Beacon Hill Academy, 4203 metres for 2024 entry. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

Bishop Milner Catholic CollegeBeacon Hill Academy

Source: Dudley admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in Dudley?

Apply to Dudley 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.

Explore More

The Great School Divide
Anatomy of Outstanding
League Tables