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Buttercross, Market Place, SpilsbyPhoto: Jo and Steve Turner · CC BY-SA 2.0
D−School Grade
Schools in Spilsby · DfE, Ofsted

Strong GCSE passes are rare in Spilsby: 23% get grade 5 or better in English and maths, below Lincolnshire’s towns and towns in England

That puts Spilsby below both Lincolnshire’s towns (41%) and towns in England (45%). 4 state-funded schools are located in Spilsby’s built-up area. Spilsby grades D− for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #59 of 61 in Lincolnshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.

State schools
4
1 primary, 1 secondary
Reading, writing & maths
51%
meet the expected standard at 11 · 2023–25
England’s schools: 62%
Attainment 8
38.4
GCSE average across 8 subjects · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
23%
a strong pass in both · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47%

Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.

School Grade

Spilsby grades D− for schools

Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.

Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (51% meet the standard)Better than 9% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (38.4 and 23%)Better than 4% of towns in England

Spilsby has 1 primary of its own with KS2 results, too few to judge on, so the primary figure uses the 4 graded primaries in and within 3 km of the town (208 pupils in results). Spilsby has 1 secondary of its own with GCSE results, too few to judge on, so the secondary figure uses the 1 graded secondary in and within 3 km of the town (77 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 Spilsby’s 4 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 Spilsby’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.

Getting a place

How school places work in Spilsby

Lincolnshire County Council handles applications for every state school in Spilsby, 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. 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

How full each school is

Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%.

King Edward VI85%
Spilsby83%

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

4 state schools in Spilsby

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 Spilsby’s schoolsA 0B 0C 1D 12 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 inspections

Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.

Good 2Ungraded inspection only 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. 0 of Spilsby’s 4 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.

Who runs them

3 academy trusts

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 bySchoolsPupilsTheir letters
David Ross Education TrustKing Edward VI, The Eresby School, Spilsby2469D
Infinity Academies TrustSpilsby1175C−
Community Inclusive TrustWoodlands183—
After 16

Where Spilsby’s teenagers go at 16

In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.

The state secondary in Spilsby teaches 11 to 16.

Secondaries with a sixth form
0 of 1
state schools in Spilsby
Colleges within 12 miles
0
further-education and sixth-form colleges
Grammar schools in Lincolnshire
15
selective state secondaries
Special needs

Special schools and alternative provision in Spilsby

Spilsby has 2 special schools (The Eresby School, Spilsby and Woodlands: 195 pupils). A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), Lincolnshire 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 ↑

Lincolnshire County Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.

Towns its size

458th of 476 English towns of 3,000 to 5,000

Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Spilsby, and the top and bottom of the group.

#TownSchoolsKS2Attainment 8Grade 5+ E&M
1Gnosall StaffordshireA+83%——
…
454Holt NorfolkD−50%——
455Fenstanton CambridgeshireD−50%——
456Lydd KentD−48%38.733%
457New Romney KentD−45%38.733%
458Spilsby LincolnshireD−51%38.423%
459Forest Row East SussexD−49%——
460Southminster EssexD−50%36.728%
461Iwade KentD−49%——
462Halesworth SuffolkD−48%——
…
476Watchet SomersetD−29%——
Neighbours

Spilsby and the places around it

Coloured by School Grade.

Burgh le Marsh: C+Stickney: D−Alford: BWainfleet All Saints: D−Wainfleet St Mary: D−Horncastle: B−Old Leake: DBurgh le MarshStickneyAlfordWainfleet All SaintsWainfleet St MaryHorncastleOld LeakeSpilsby
TownSchoolsKS2Att. 8
Spilsby
4 schools
D−51%38.4
Burgh le Marsh
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 6.4 mi
C+60%—
Stickney
2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 6.7 mi
D−38%28.3
Alford
3 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 6.8 mi
B63%45.3
Wainfleet All Saints
1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 7.4 mi
D−48%—
Wainfleet St Mary
0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 7.6 mi
D−48%—
Horncastle
4 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 8.8 mi
B−56%48.6
Old Leake
2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 9.6 mi
D53%39.6

Alford has the best-graded schools nearby (B). 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 Spilsby: 7% (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 Spilsby

Are schools in Spilsby good?

Spilsby’s state schools earn a D− against schools across England: primary results beat 9% of towns in England; secondary results beat 4% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Lincolnshire council.

Do Spilsby secondary schools have sixth forms?

No. The state secondary teaches 11–16; students move at 16 to a college, a sixth form elsewhere or an apprenticeship.

How do I apply for a school place in Spilsby?

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).

How many state schools are in Spilsby?

4 open state-funded schools are located in Spilsby’s built-up area: 1 primary, 1 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.

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.