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Schools across Gloucestershire

Local authority · 338 schools across 45 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 Gloucestershire (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 Gloucestershire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

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

Schools in Gloucestershire (338)

Showing 20 of 338 schools

Total Schools

338

241 primary · 42 secondary

Total Pupils

101,211

91% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

108

9 outstanding · 99 good

Capacity

111,028

9,817 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

99
223
Outstanding: 9
Good: 99
Requires Improvement: 7
Not inspected: 223

Best Schools in Gloucestershire

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

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

40.9

GCSE Eng+Maths

40.5%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

90% full
47,480 pupils52,645 capacity

5,165 spare places

Secondary Schools

96% full
44,124 pupils46,126 capacity

2,002 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

6.1%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

14.8%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

292

2024/25

Absence trend across Gloucestershire schools

4.3%
18/19
4.1%
20/21
6.8%
21/22
6.7%
22/23
6.4%
23/24
6.1%
24/25

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

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

27%

Plans Issued

1,274

Assessment Requests

1,734

Tribunal Cases

61

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

99%
2019
63%
2020
22%
2021
29%
2022
35%
2023
26%
2024
27%
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

7,950 admissions

173

Lodged

(2.2%)

131

Heard

46

Successful

(35%)

Primary (infant classes)

6,268 admissions

62

Lodged

(1.0%)

44

Heard

11

Successful

(25%)

Secondary

9,051 admissions

685

Lodged

(7.6%)

562

Heard

143

Successful

(25%)

Total

17,001 admissions

858

Lodged

(5.0%)

693

Heard

189

Successful

(27%)

Total appeals lodged per year

2661
2019
1962
2020
1368
2021
1345
2022
1484
2023
1683
2024
1788
2025
1778
2026

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

Towns in Gloucestershire

Gloucester

86 schools

Cheltenham

68 schools

Stroud

35 schools

Cirencester

20 schools

Tewkesbury

16 schools

Stonehouse

13 schools

Lydney

11 schools

Dursley

9 schools

Coleford

8 schools

Cinderford

6 schools

Berkeley

5 schools

Tetbury

5 schools

Chipping Campden

4 schools

Chepstow

4 schools

Newent

4 schools

Wotton-under-Edge

4 schools

Gloucestershire

4 schools

Fairford

3 schools

Moreton-in-Marsh

3 schools

Ruardean

2 schools

Questions parents ask about schools in Gloucestershire

How many schools are there in Gloucestershire?

Gloucestershire has 338 open schools: 241 state primary, 42 state secondary or all-through, 23 independent, 25 special and 7 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Gloucestershire are rated Outstanding?

30 schools in Gloucestershire were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Powell's Church of England Primary School, Upton St Leonards Church of England Primary School, The Crypt School, Pate's Grammar School, Hartpury College and 25 more. Counting Good as well, 91% of the 272 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.

Powell's Church of England Primary SchoolUpton St Leonards Church of England Primary SchoolThe Crypt SchoolPate's Grammar SchoolHartpury College

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Gloucestershire get the best GCSE results?

Of the 44 schools in Gloucestershire with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Pate's Grammar School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 82.4 and 99% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Sir Thomas Rich's School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 75.2 and 96% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Denmark Road High School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 74.8 and 97% 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.

Pate's Grammar SchoolSir Thomas Rich's SchoolDenmark Road High School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Gloucestershire have the best SATs results?

5 of the 208 primary schools in Gloucestershire with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths, among them Coaley Church of England Primary Academy, Coberley Church of England Primary School and Cold Aston 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.

Coaley Church of England Primary AcademyCoberley Church of England Primary SchoolCold Aston Church of England Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Gloucestershire?

Yes. Gloucestershire has 7 state grammar schools, including Denmark Road High School, Marling School, Pate's Grammar School, Ribston Hall High School, Sir Thomas Rich's School and Stroud High School. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Denmark Road High SchoolMarling SchoolPate's Grammar SchoolRibston Hall High SchoolSir Thomas Rich's SchoolStroud High School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Gloucestershire have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Gloucestershire have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Gloucestershire 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 Gloucestershire?

Apply to Gloucestershire 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