Reading’s state schools get better results than 76% of towns in England
Across their best eight GCSEs, pupils in Reading score 52.5 on Attainment 8, close to Berkshire’s towns (51.7) and above towns in England (45.9). 71 state-funded schools are located in Reading’s built-up area. Reading grades A− for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #15 of 30 in Berkshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Reading’s secondary results beat 85% of English towns; its primary results beat 59%. 63% of the city’s 11-year-olds meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England and 61% across Reading. The spread between primaries is wide: 91% at Whiteknights Primary School, 42% at Southcote Primary School. Every school’s result ↓
Grammar schools in town
Kendrick School and Reading School admit pupils by a test at 11. Their results count in Reading’s School Grade, as they are state schools many local children attend. After 16 ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Reading grades A− for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (63% meet the standard)Better than 59% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (52.5 and 57%)Better than 85% of towns in England
The secondary figure lifts Reading; the primary figure holds it back.
Each of Reading’s 44 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
Each of Reading’s 11 secondaries: Attainment 8 (2025/26)
England’s average schoolReading’s average school
The primary figure: 44 primaries in the town, 7,115 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 11 secondaries in the town, 2,034 pupils in results. Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Map
Where Reading’s 71 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Reading’s built-up area.
PrimarySecondarySpecial, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.
Results and intake
Which schools do better than their intake suggests
Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.
Primaries: KS2 reading, writing and maths against free school meals
Secondaries: Attainment 8 against free school meals
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 3% at Aldryngton Primary School to 51% at Ranikhet Academy. Against schools with the same intake, Kendrick School does best: 82 with 11% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 54. 20 of 44 primaries and 4 of 11 secondaries are above the line.
Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.
Getting a place
How school places work in Reading
Reading Council handles applications for every state school in Reading, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 10 of Reading’s 61 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 10 schools are at or over it.
Blessed Hugh Faringdon117%
St John's incl. nursery108%
Westwood Farm Infant incl. nursery107%
Reading104%
The Palmer incl. nursery104%
Denefield103%
Maiden Erlegh103%
Kendrick102%
All Saints100%
Birch Copse100%
Show all 60 schools
Aldryngton100%
Springfield incl. nursery99%
Geoffrey Field Junior99%
All Saints Junior99%
Little Heath99%
Maiden Erlegh School in Reading99%
Downsway99%
Westwood Farm Junior98%
New Town incl. nursery98%
Long Lane97%
Geoffrey Field Infant incl. nursery97%
Battle incl. nursery97%
Whiteknights incl. nursery96%
Reading Girls'96%
Katesgrove incl. nursery95%
Wilson incl. nursery95%
Hawkedon95%
Kennet Valley94%
English Martyrs' incl. nursery94%
Hillside incl. nursery93%
Redlands incl. nursery93%
Calcot Infant incl. nursery93%
Coley incl. nursery93%
Park Lane92%
Churchend incl. nursery90%
Civitas89%
New Christ Church88%
Ranikhet incl. nursery87%
St Michael's86%
Calcot Junior86%
St Paul's85%
Earley St Peter's incl. nursery85%
Southcote84%
Oxford Road Community incl. nursery84%
Manor incl. nursery83%
Christ The King incl. nursery82%
Radstock81%
Loddon incl. nursery81%
Whitley Park incl. nursery81%
Purley incl. nursery81%
The WREN79%
King's Academy Prospect77%
St Mary & All Saints incl. nursery77%
E P Collier incl. nursery75%
Meadow Park68%
The Ridgeway incl. nursery68%
Hartland High62%
Green Park Village incl. nursery61%
Moorlands58%
River31%
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
The schools
71 state schools in Reading
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Reading’s schoolsA13B17C21D416 without a letter
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted report cards
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Outstanding 4Good 21Report card 11Inadequate 1Ungraded inspection only 32No published grade 2
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 11 of Reading’s 71 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
Run by
Schools
Pupils
Their letters
Maiden Erlegh TrustMaiden Erlegh, Maiden Erlegh School in Reading, River, Hamilton, Horizons Ap
Reach2 Academy TrustThe Palmer, Civitas, Green Park Village, Ranikhet
4
1,273
C+B+C−
Oxford Diocesan Schools TrustSt John's, New Town, New Christ Church
3
1,049
BCC−
Thames Learning TrustReading Girls', Battle
2
1,361
A−C+
Anthem Schools TrustMeadow Park, All Saints Junior
2
384
C−A+
Denefield SchoolDenefield
1
1,171
B
King's Group AcademiesKing's Academy Prospect
1
1,157
C
Reading SchoolReading
1
1,138
A+
Kendrick SchoolKendrick
1
939
A+
Excalibur Academies TrustThe WREN
1
931
C−
Greenshaw Learning TrustHartland High
1
589
C−
Keys Academy TrustEarley St Peter's
1
458
B
Bellevue Place Education TrustWhiteknights
1
453
A+
White Horse FederationSt Mary & All Saints
1
322
C−
Activate Learning Education TrustUTC Reading
1
299
—
Avenue School Special Needs Academy TrustThe Avenue Special
1
253
—
Ascendancy Partnership TrustBrookfields
1
224
—
Liberty Academy Trust Ltd.Thames Valley
1
78
—
Reading CouncilLittle Heath, Blessed Hugh Faringdon, Katesgrove, Alfred Sutton, Southcote, Loddon, Whitley Park, Wilson, Birch Copse, English Martyrs', Park Lane, St Michael's, The Ridgeway, Geoffrey Field Junior, E P Collier, Springfield, Aldryngton, Geoffrey Field Infant, Christ The King, Manor, Moorlands, St Paul's, Calcot Junior, Coley, Oxford Road Community, Westwood Farm Junior, Calcot Infant, Downsway, Long Lane, Kennet Valley, Redlands, Westwood Farm Infant, Blagdon Nursery, Norcot Early Years Centre, Purley, Blagrave Nursery, All Saints, The Holy Brook
38
13,583
BB−B−ADB+DCACBC−C−C+B−BA+C−C+BAC−C+B+CBDCA−D
After 16
Where Reading’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
10 of Reading’s 12 state secondaries have sixth forms: Blessed Hugh Faringdon, Denefield, Hartland High, Kendrick, King's Academy Prospect, Little Heath, Maiden Erlegh, Reading, River and The WREN. The nearest college is The Henley College, a further-education college 6.9 miles away.
Secondaries with a sixth form
10 of 12
state schools in Reading
Colleges within 12 miles
1
nearest: The Henley College
Grammar schools in Reading
2
selective state secondaries
Special needs
Special schools and alternative provision in Reading
Reading has 5 special schools (Brookfields, Hamilton, Thames Valley, The Avenue Special and The Holy Brook: 647 pupils) and 1 alternative provision school, for pupils who can’t attend mainstream school for a time. A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), Reading Council names the school in the plan, after asking the family’s preference. These schools have no letter, because their results don’t compare with mainstream schools’. Their cards ↑
Reading Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
18th of 41 English towns and cities of 143,000 to 275,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns and cities either side of Reading, and the top and bottom of the group.
Theale 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 4.3 mi
B+
67%
46.5
Winnersh 3 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 4.5 mi
A
69%
55.3
Sonning has the best-graded schools nearby (A). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
•
Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
•
Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Reading: 11% (England’s average school: 8%).
•
Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
•
Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
•
Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
•
Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
•
Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
•
Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Reading
Are schools in Reading good?
Reading’s state schools earn an A− against schools across England: primary results beat 59% of towns in England; secondary results beat 85% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Reading council.
What is the best secondary school in Reading?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, Kendrick School: Attainment 8 of 82.4 and 99% with grade 5+ in English and maths, against 47.3 at the average school in England. Results are one measure; distance decides most places.
What is the best primary school in Reading?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Whiteknights Primary School: 91% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Reading secondary schools have sixth forms?
10 of 12 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Reading?
Through Reading Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in Reading are full?
10 of 60 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
How many state schools are in Reading?
71 open state-funded schools are located in Reading’s built-up area: 49 primary, 12 secondary and 10 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
