Marling School, Stroud

In 2026, pupils at Marling School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 73.2, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 51.2 in Gloucestershire and 47 across England.

98% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 54% in Gloucestershire and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 73.9.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.64: pupils made well above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Physics, Biology and Chemistry.

Marling School is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.

For September 2026 entry, 164 families put Marling School as their first choice and 431 named it as one of their preferences, for 149 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 55 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

Marling School admits pupils through an entrance test, usually called the 11-plus. Children have to be registered for it in advance, normally in the spring or summer of Year 5; the test itself is usually sat in September of Year 6, and results come out in October, before the 31 October deadline for naming secondary schools.

Passing the test makes a child eligible rather than guaranteeing a place: when more children pass than there are places, Marling School ranks them by the criteria in its admissions policy, which can include test score and distance. Check Gloucestershire's admissions pages and the school's own policy for this year's registration deadline - a child who is not registered in time cannot sit the test.

Gloucestershire has 7 state grammar schools in all, so a child who passes may have several selective schools to choose between.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Marling School are Stroud High School (0.1 miles, Outstanding, selective, Attainment 8 74.7); Archway School (0.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 41.4); Maidenhill School (2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.6); and Thomas Keble School (3.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.3).

Marling School's 2026 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.

Marling School is one of 62 schools run by Lift Schools, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 40.7 in 2024/25.

434 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Marling School (as of September 2025): 78% would recommend the school, 87% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (95%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (67%).

Of the 157 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 98% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 6% to a further education college and 2% into work.

Of the 206 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 49% went on to university or other higher education, 3% to apprenticeships and 31% into work. 40% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

4.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 12.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (64%), Asian (15%) and Mixed (8%).

In 2026, 58 pupils (5.4%) received SEN support and 2 (0.2%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.

The nearest railway station is Stroud (Glos) Rail Station, about 1110 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).

24 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Marling School, 40 metres away.

In 2024/25, Marling School issued 17 suspensions, 1.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Marling School are St Matthew's Church of England Primary School (0.4 miles), Rodborough Community Primary School (0.5 miles), Lift Callowell (0.6 miles) and The Rosary Catholic Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.