Schools across Reading

How many schools are there in Reading?

Reading has 71 open schools: 41 state primary, 12 state secondary or all-through, 8 independent, 5 special and 5 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Reading are rated Outstanding?

10 schools in Reading were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Reading School, Kendrick School, The Heights Primary School, Caversham Nursery School, Norcot Early Years Centre and 5 more. Counting Good as well, 93% of the 59 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.

Reading SchoolKendrick SchoolThe Heights Primary SchoolCaversham Nursery SchoolNorcot Early Years Centre

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Reading get the best GCSE results?

Of the 11 schools in Reading with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Kendrick School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 82.4 and 99% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Reading School (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 80.6 and 97% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre, with an Attainment 8 score of 54.9 and 64% 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.

Kendrick SchoolReading SchoolHighdown School and Sixth Form Centre

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Reading have the best SATs results?

Of the 37 primary schools in Reading with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at All Saints Junior School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); Oxford Road Community School (93% in reading, 100% in maths); and St Martin's Catholic Primary School (91% in reading, 96% 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.

All Saints Junior SchoolOxford Road Community SchoolSt Martin's Catholic Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Reading?

Yes. Kendrick School and Reading School are state grammar schools in Reading. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Kendrick SchoolReading School

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Reading have catchment areas?

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

Apply to Reading 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.