Schools in Alford

How many schools are there in Alford?

Alford has 8 open schools: 5 state primary and 3 state secondary or all-through.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Are there any Outstanding schools in Alford?

None of the 5 graded schools in Alford currently holds an Outstanding rating. 4 are rated Good, so 80% are 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.

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Alford get the best GCSE results?

Of the 2 schools in Alford with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar Alford - A Selective Academy (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 59.9 and 75% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and John Spendluffe Foundation Technology College, with an Attainment 8 score of 33.3 and 21% 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.

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar Alford - A Selective AcademyJohn Spendluffe Foundation Technology College

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Alford have the best SATs results?

Of the 3 primary schools in Alford with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at The St Margaret's Church of England School, Withern (88% in reading, 100% in maths); Alford Primary School (79% in reading, 79% in maths); and Huttoft Primary & Nursery School (70% in reading, 73% 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.

The St Margaret's Church of England School, WithernAlford Primary SchoolHuttoft Primary & Nursery School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Alford?

Yes. Queen Elizabeth's Grammar Alford - A Selective Academy is a state grammar school in Alford. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar Alford - A Selective Academy

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Alford have catchment areas?

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

Apply to your council - Lincolnshire or Aberdeenshire, depending on your address - 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.