Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Christine Johnstone · CC BY-SA 2.0Reading, writing and maths at the expected standard: 58% of primary pupils in Sleaford, below both Lincolnshire’s towns (62%) and towns in England (62%). 6 state-funded schools are located in Sleaford’s built-up area. Sleaford grades C+ for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #28 of 61 in Lincolnshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
4 of Sleaford’s 6 state schools belong to 3 academy trusts. Community Inclusive Trust runs 2 of them, including Carre's Grammar and Kesteven and Sleaford High School Selective: 1,557 of the 3,838 secondary pupils. Who runs them ↓
Carre's Grammar School and Kesteven and Sleaford High School Selective Academy admit pupils by a test at 11. Their results count in Sleaford’s School Grade, as they are state schools many local children attend. After 16 ↓
Schools with more pupils on free school meals usually get lower results. At Church Lane Primary School & Nursery, 41% of pupils are on free school meals and 71% meet the expected standard; a typical school in England with that intake reaches 57%. Results and intake ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
The primary figure: 3 primaries in the town, 355 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 3 secondaries in the town, 599 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.
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 Sleaford’s built-up area.
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table. The 3 secondaries are named.
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.
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 9% at Carre's Grammar School to 49% at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy. Against schools with the same intake, Church Lane Primary School & Nursery does best: 71% with 41% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 57%. 1 of 3 primaries and 2 of 3 secondaries are above the line.
| School | Free school meals | Result | Typical for that intake | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Church Lane Primary School & NurseryKS2 % | 41% | 71% | 57% | +14 |
| Kesteven and Sleaford High School Selective AcademyAttainment 8 | 10% | 63 | 54 | +9 |
| Carre's Grammar SchoolAttainment 8 | 9% | 60 | 55 | +5 |
| St Botolph's C of E Primary SchoolKS2 % | 19% | 60% | 63% | −3 |
| St George's AcademyAttainment 8 | 34% | 39 | 46 | −6 |
| Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyKS2 % | 49% | 40% | 55% | −15 |
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.
Lincolnshire County Council handles applications for every state school in Sleaford, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
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. 2 of Sleaford’s 6 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.
Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 1 school is at or over it.
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
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.
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.
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
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. 0 of Sleaford’s 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Inclusive TrustCarre's Grammar, Kesteven and Sleaford High School Selective | 2 | 1,557 | AA+ |
| St George's Academy TrustSt George's | 1 | 2,281 | D |
| Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi-Academy TrustOur Lady of Good Counsel | 1 | 146 | D |
| Lincolnshire County CouncilSt Botolph's, Church Lane | 2 | 620 | C+A− |
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
Every state secondary in Sleaford has its own sixth form. Sleaford Joint Sixth Form, a sixth-form college, is in the town.
| College | Distance |
|---|---|
| Sleaford Joint Sixth FormSixth-form college · NG34 7PS | in Sleaford |
| Grantham CollegeFurther-education college · NG31 9AP | 10.9 mi |
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Sleaford, and the top and bottom of the group.
| # | Town | Schools | KS2 | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ E&M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amersham Buckinghamshire | A+ | 79% | 64.3 | 83% |
| … | |||||
| 176 | Forest Town Nottinghamshire | C+ | 63% | 43 | 39% |
| 177 | Churchdown Gloucestershire | C+ | 53% | 49.5 | 51% |
| 178 | Warminster Wiltshire | C+ | 60% | 45.8 | 41% |
| 179 | Willerby and Anlaby East Riding of Yorkshire | C+ | 60% | 44.6 | 44% |
| 180 | Sleaford Lincolnshire | C+ | 58% | 47.2 | 43% |
| 181 | Syston Leicestershire | C+ | 63% | 42.9 | 37% |
| 182 | Spennymoor County Durham | C+ | 60% | 46.2 | 40% |
| 183 | Minster (Swale) Kent | C+ | 68% | 33.2 | 16% |
| 184 | Taverham and Drayton Norfolk | C+ | 61% | 43.6 | 40% |
| … | |||||
| 285 | March Cambridgeshire | D− | 45% | 36.7 | 30% |
Coloured by School Grade.
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleaford 6 schools | C+ | 58% | 47.2 |
| Greylees 0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 1.9 mi | C | 60% | 45 |
| Leasingham 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 2 mi | B | 64% | 47.2 |
| Ruskington 2 schools · 3.4 mi | C | 59% | — |
| Cranwell 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 3.5 mi | B+ | 65% | — |
| Heckington 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4.8 mi | D | 53% | — |
| Billinghay 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 7.9 mi | C | 58% | — |
| Billingborough 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 7.9 mi | D | 55% | — |
Cranwell has the best-graded schools nearby (B+). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
Sleaford’s state schools earn a C+ against schools across England: primary results beat 33% of towns in England; secondary results beat 52% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Lincolnshire council.
On 2025/26 GCSE results, Kesteven and Sleaford High School Selective Academy: Attainment 8 of 63 and 83% with grade 5+ in English and maths, against 47.3 at the average school in England. Results are one measure; distance decides most places.
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Church Lane Primary School & Nursery: 71% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Yes, all 3 do.
Through Lincolnshire County Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
1 of 6 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.
6 open state-funded schools are located in Sleaford’s built-up area: 3 primary, 3 secondary and 0 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.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.