Schools in Horncastle

How many schools are there in Horncastle?

Horncastle has 5 open schools: 2 state primary, 2 state secondary or all-through and 1 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Are there any Outstanding schools in Horncastle?

None of the 5 graded schools in Horncastle currently holds an Outstanding rating. 5 are rated Good, so 100% 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 Horncastle get the best GCSE results?

Of the 2 schools in Horncastle 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 School, Horncastle (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 62.7 and 83% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and The Banovallum School, with an Attainment 8 score of 35.2 and 20% 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 School, HorncastleThe Banovallum School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Horncastle have the best SATs results?

Of the 2 primary schools in Horncastle with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at The Edward Richardson Primary School, Tetford (95% in reading, 90% in maths); and Horncastle Primary School (67% in reading, 72% 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 Edward Richardson Primary School, TetfordHorncastle Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Horncastle?

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

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Horncastle have catchment areas?

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

Apply to Lincolnshire 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.