Gloucester’s state schools: secondary results beat 94% of towns in England, primary results only 27%
Across their best eight GCSEs, pupils in Gloucester score 56.1 on Attainment 8, above both Gloucestershire’s towns (47.5) and towns in England (45.9). 38 state-funded schools are located in Gloucester’s built-up area. Gloucester grades B for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #16 of 48 in Gloucestershire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Gloucester’s secondary results beat 94% of English towns; its primary results beat 27%. 57% 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 60% across Gloucestershire. The spread between primaries is wide: 78% at Harewood Junior School, 29% at Willow Primary Academy. Every school’s result ↓
Popular schools are full
16 of 36 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as their official capacity, including Barnwood Park, Denmark Road High, Sir Thomas Rich's and The Crypt among the secondaries. A full school gives places by its admissions rules, usually by distance after siblings. Getting a place ↓
Grammar schools in town
Denmark Road High School, Ribston Hall High School, Sir Thomas Rich's School and The Crypt School admit pupils by a test at 11. Their results count in Gloucester’s School Grade, as they are state schools many local children attend. After 16 ↓
Harewood Junior beats its intake
Schools with more pupils on free school meals usually get lower results. At Harewood Junior School, 23% of pupils are on free school meals and 78% meet the expected standard; a typical school in England with that intake reaches 62%. Results and intake ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Gloucester grades B for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (57% meet the standard)Better than 27% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (56.1 and 63%)Better than 94% of towns in England
The secondary figure lifts Gloucester; the primary figure holds it back.
Each of Gloucester’s 21 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
Each of Gloucester’s 8 secondaries: Attainment 8 (2025/26)
England’s average schoolGloucestershire’s average school
The primary figure: 23 primaries in the town, 3,964 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 8 secondaries in the town, 1,363 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 Gloucester’s 38 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 Gloucester’s built-up area.
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, 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. The 8 secondaries are named.
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 4% at The Crypt School to 50% at Willow Primary Academy. Against schools with the same intake, Sir Thomas Rich's School does best: 75 with 6% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 56. 7 of 20 primaries and 4 of 8 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 Gloucester
Gloucestershire County Council handles applications for every state school in Gloucester, 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. 7 of Gloucester’s 36 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%; 16 schools are at or over it.
The Crypt138%
Coney Hill incl. nursery115%
Longlevens Infant112%
St Paul's111%
Sir Thomas Rich's108%
Kingsway incl. nursery106%
Hatherley Infant106%
Widden incl. nursery104%
Denmark Road High103%
Hillside incl. nursery103%
Show all 35 schools
Barnwood Park101%
Hempsted101%
Elmbridge100%
Abbeymead100%
Linden100%
Longlevens Junior100%
Dinglewell Junior100%
Harewood Junior99%
Finlay Community98%
St Peter's98%
Holmleigh Park High97%
Tredworth Junior97%
Kingsholm96%
Heron96%
Ribston Hall High94%
St Peter's92%
Tredworth Infant incl. nursery90%
Willow88%
Barnwood84%
Harewood Infant84%
Dinglewell Infant84%
Gloucester81%
Calton incl. nursery81%
St James'79%
Grange68%
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
38 state schools in Gloucester
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 Gloucester’s schoolsA8B6C10D77 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 2Good 12Report card 5Requires improvement 3Ungraded inspection only 15No published grade 1
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. 5 of Gloucester’s 38 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
Greenshaw Learning TrustHolmleigh Park High, Gloucester, Barnwood Park, Hillside, Widden, Grange
6
4,487
C+CC+D−D−D−
Sand Academies TrustCalton, The Milestone, Tredworth Infant, Willow
4
1,257
DD−
Diocese of Gloucester Academies TrustHatherley Infant, St James'
2
376
C
St Peter's Catholic High School & Sixth Form CentreSt Peter's
1
1,545
C−
Sir Thomas Rich's SchoolSir Thomas Rich's
1
1,240
A+
Crypt SchoolThe Crypt
1
1,100
A+
Denmark Road High SchoolDenmark Road High
1
1,024
A+
Ribston Hall High School Academy TrustRibston Hall High
1
939
A+
Little Way Catholic Educational TrustSt Peter's
1
411
B−
South Gloucester Learning TrustHarewood Junior
1
356
A
Lift SchoolsLift Hillview
1
0
B−
Gloucestershire County CouncilElmbridge, Kingsholm, Longlevens Junior, Kingsway, Abbeymead, Linden, Finlay Community, Longlevens Infant, Heron, Dinglewell Junior, Tredworth Junior, Coney Hill, St Paul's, Harewood Infant, Dinglewell Infant, Hempsted, Barnwood, The Altus
18
6,376
BCC+A−C+C−B+C+A−D−B−DA−B
After 16
Where Gloucester’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
6 of Gloucester’s 8 state secondaries have sixth forms: Denmark Road High, Holmleigh Park High, Ribston Hall High, Sir Thomas Rich's, St Peter's and The Crypt. Gloucestershire College, a further-education college, is in the city.
Special schools and alternative provision in Gloucester
Gloucester has 1 special school (The Milestone: 322 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), Gloucestershire County 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 ↑
Gloucestershire County Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
19th of 57 English towns and cities of 83,000 to 160,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns and cities either side of Gloucester, and the top and bottom of the group.
Highnam 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.5 mi
A+
79%
—
Shurdington 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4.9 mi
A−
66%
49.8
Highnam 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 Gloucester: 8% (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 Gloucester
Are schools in Gloucester good?
Gloucester’s state schools earn a B against schools across England: primary results beat 27% of towns in England; secondary results beat 94% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Gloucestershire council.
What is the best secondary school in Gloucester?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, Sir Thomas Rich's School: Attainment 8 of 75.2 and 96% 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 Gloucester?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Harewood Junior School: 78% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Gloucester secondary schools have sixth forms?
6 of 8 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Gloucester?
Through Gloucestershire County 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 Gloucester are full?
16 of 35 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 Gloucester?
38 open state-funded schools are located in Gloucester’s built-up area: 28 primary, 8 secondary and 2 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.
