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Schools across Herefordshire, County of

Local authority · 115 schools across 14 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 Herefordshire, County of (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 Herefordshire, County of (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Schools in Herefordshire, County of (115)

Showing 20 of 115 schools

Total Schools

115

78 primary · 14 secondary

Total Pupils

24,767

87% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

33

9 outstanding · 24 good

Capacity

28,421

3,654 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

24
80
Outstanding: 9
Good: 24
Requires Improvement: 2
Not inspected: 80

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

39.7

GCSE Eng+Maths

33.1%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

86% full
13,095 pupils15,279 capacity

2,184 spare places

Secondary Schools

92% full
9,368 pupils10,206 capacity

838 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

5.5%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

13.0%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

94

2024/25

Absence trend across Herefordshire, County of schools

4.4%
18/19
3.9%
20/21
7%
21/22
6.2%
22/23
6.2%
23/24
5.5%
24/25

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

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

56%

Plans Issued

388

Assessment Requests

582

Tribunal Cases

17

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

90%
2019
91%
2020
84%
2021
75%
2022
77%
2023
67%
2024
56%
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

1,960 admissions

10

Lodged

(0.5%)

9

Heard

4

Successful

(44%)

Primary (infant classes)

1,750 admissions

8

Lodged

(0.5%)

7

Heard

3

Successful

(43%)

Secondary

1,933 admissions

41

Lodged

(2.1%)

34

Heard

6

Successful

(18%)

Total

3,893 admissions

51

Lodged

(1.3%)

43

Heard

10

Successful

(23%)

Total appeals lodged per year

156
2019
167
2020
132
2021
136
2022
201
2023
181
2024
204
2025
110
2026

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

Questions parents ask about schools in Herefordshire, County of

How many schools are there in Herefordshire, County of?

Herefordshire, County of has 115 open schools: 78 state primary, 15 state secondary or all-through, 5 independent, 13 special and 4 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Herefordshire, County of are rated Outstanding?

19 schools in Herefordshire, County of were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Rowden House School, Walford Nursery & Primary School, Eastnor Parochial Primary School, Riverside Primary School, The Beacon College and 14 more. Counting Good as well, 94% of the 96 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.

Rowden House SchoolWalford Nursery & Primary SchoolEastnor Parochial Primary SchoolRiverside Primary SchoolThe Beacon College

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Herefordshire, County of get the best GCSE results?

Of the 16 schools in Herefordshire, County of with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at St Mary's RC High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 53.2 and 64% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Fairfield High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 51.9 and 56% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Whitecross Hereford, with an Attainment 8 score of 50.1 and 41% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

St Mary's RC High SchoolFairfield High SchoolWhitecross Hereford

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Herefordshire, County of have the best SATs results?

4 of the 71 primary schools in Herefordshire, County of with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths, among them Kimbolton St James CofE Primary School; Longtown Community Primary School; and St Mary's Primary School, Dilwyn. Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Kimbolton St James CofE Primary SchoolLongtown Community Primary SchoolSt Mary's Primary School, Dilwyn

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Herefordshire, County of?

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

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Herefordshire, County of have catchment areas?

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

Apply to Herefordshire, County of 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.