Bexley’s state schools outscore 88% of towns in England
Across their best eight GCSEs, pupils in Bexley score 52.4 on Attainment 8, close to London’s towns (51.7) and above towns in England (45.9). 84 state-funded schools are located in Bexley’s built-up area. Bexley grades A for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #20 of 33 in London. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Bexley’s secondary results beat 85% of English towns; its primary results beat 81%. 68% of the London borough’s 11-year-olds meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England and 67% across Bexley. The spread between primaries is wide: 91% at St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, 33% at Hope Community School. Every school’s result ↓
Grammar schools in town
Beths Grammar School, Bexley Grammar School, Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School and Townley Grammar School admit pupils by a test at 11. Their results count in Bexley’s School Grade, as they are state schools many local children attend. After 16 ↓
St John Fisher beats its intake
Schools with more pupils on free school meals usually get lower results. At St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, 20% of pupils are on free school meals and 91% meet the expected standard; a typical school in England with that intake reaches 63%. Results and intake ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Bexley grades A for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (68% meet the standard)Better than 81% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (52.4 and 57%)Better than 85% of towns in England
Each of Bexley’s 56 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
Each of Bexley’s 16 secondaries: Attainment 8 (2025/26)
England’s average schoolBexley’s average school
The primary figure: 56 primaries in the town, 9,546 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 16 secondaries in the town, 3,116 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 Bexley’s 84 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 Bexley’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 1% at Chatsworth Infant School to 57% at Northumberland Heath Primary School. Against schools with the same intake, St John Fisher Catholic Primary School does best: 91% with 20% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 63%. 34 of 55 primaries and 8 of 16 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 Bexley
Bexley Council handles applications for every state school in Bexley, 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. 19 of Bexley’s 76 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%; 13 schools are at or over it.
Chatsworth Infant incl. nursery117%
Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar116%
Trinity114%
Harris Academy Falconwood113%
Bexley Grammar111%
Townley Grammar108%
St Fidelis incl. nursery107%
Hook Lane incl. nursery106%
Hurst incl. nursery105%
Haberdashers' Crayford incl. nursery103%
Show all 75 schools
Barrington101%
St Thomas More100%
Barnehurst Junior100%
Upton incl. nursery100%
St Stephen's100%
Leigh Stationers' incl. nursery100%
Foster's incl. nursery100%
Dulverton incl. nursery100%
Days Lane incl. nursery100%
Crook Log incl. nursery99%
Burnt Oak Junior99%
Upland99%
Bursted Wood99%
Orchard incl. nursery99%
Beths Grammar98%
Belmont incl. nursery98%
Birkbeck incl. nursery97%
St Joseph's97%
St Paulinus97%
Gravel Hill incl. nursery96%
Bedonwell Junior96%
Lessness Heath incl. nursery96%
Mayplace incl. nursery95%
Our Lady of the Rosary incl. nursery95%
Brampton incl. nursery94%
Danson94%
Barnehurst Infant incl. nursery94%
Haberdashers' Crayford94%
Longlands93%
St Michael's East Wickham incl. nursery92%
St Augustine of Canterbury91%
Belvedere Junior91%
St Columba's89%
Peareswood incl. nursery89%
Pelham incl. nursery88%
Blackfen School for Girls88%
St Peter Chanel incl. nursery87%
East Wickham incl. nursery85%
Harris Garrard85%
St John Fisher84%
Hurstmere84%
St. Paul's (Slade Green) incl. nursery83%
Cleeve Park83%
Royal Park incl. nursery81%
Parkway incl. nursery81%
St Catherine's79%
Christ Church (Erith)79%
Lift Bexleyheath78%
Belvedere Infant incl. nursery76%
Bedonwell Infant incl. nursery75%
Old Bexley incl. nursery73%
Fairford Academy Barnehurst incl. nursery72%
Jubilee incl. nursery70%
Sherwood Park incl. nursery67%
Haberdashers' Slade Green incl. nursery67%
Hillsgrove incl. nursery67%
Northumberland Heath incl. nursery65%
Northwood60%
Welling59%
Holy Trinity Lamorbey incl. nursery57%
Hope Community53%
Willow Bank43%
Leigh Academy Bexley43%
Castilion incl. nursery34%
Lime Wood30%
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
84 state schools in Bexley
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 Bexley’s schoolsA26B23C17D513 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 5Good 20Report card 17Requires improvement 1Ungraded inspection only 41
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. 17 of Bexley’s 84 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
London South East Academies TrustBedonwell Junior, Belmont, Bedonwell Infant, Barrington, Woodside, Endeavour Academy Bexley, Aspire, Horizons Academy Bexley
8
1,819
C+BB−
Trinitas Academy TrustTrinity, Christ Church (Erith), St. Paul's (Slade Green), St Augustine of Canterbury, Jubilee, Northwood, Cornerstone
7
2,468
CBDB−CC−
Kemnal Academies TrustWelling, Cleeve Park, East Wickham, Royal Park, Shenstone, Cleeve Meadow
St Oscar Romero Catholic Academy TrustSt Columba's, St Thomas More, St Peter Chanel
3
1,408
B+A+D
Harris FederationHarris Garrard, Harris Academy Falconwood
2
2,800
BB
Leigh Academies TrustLeigh Academy Bexley, Leigh Stationers'
2
1,108
C−A+
Cygnus Academies TrustUpland, Gravel Hill
2
878
BB+
Illuminate Minds TrustFairford Academy Barnehurst, Pelham
2
846
B−B−
Beths Grammar SchoolBeths Grammar
1
1,701
A+
Townley Grammar School TrustTownley Grammar
1
1,669
A+
Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar SchoolChislehurst and Sidcup Grammar
1
1,561
A+
Bexley Grammar SchoolBexley Grammar
1
1,504
A+
Lift SchoolsLift Bexleyheath
1
1,474
B
Blackfen School for GirlsBlackfen School for Girls
1
1,324
B−
St Catherine's Catholic SchoolSt Catherine's
1
1,021
A
Howard Academy TrustHurstmere
1
893
C+
Hurst Primary SchoolHurst
1
662
A
Days Lane Primary SchoolDays Lane
1
653
B+
Bursted Wood Primary SchoolBursted Wood
1
621
A
Maritime Academy TrustHook Lane
1
447
B
Reach2 Academy TrustBrampton
1
429
B
Sherwood Park Primary SchoolSherwood Park
1
282
B−
Sdbe Multi-Academy TrustSt Michael's East Wickham
1
221
C
New Generation Schools TrustHope Community
1
112
D−
Aquinas Church of England Education Trust LimitedBishop Ridley
1
0
B+
Bexley CouncilBirkbeck, Danson, St Fidelis, Upton, Foster's, Dulverton, Crook Log, St Stephen's, Our Lady of the Rosary, Longlands, Parkway, St Joseph's, Orchard, St John Fisher, Marlborough
15
5,540
A+AAA+A−A−A−A+B−B−DAC+A+
After 16
Where Bexley’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
14 of Bexley’s 16 state secondaries have sixth forms: Beths Grammar, Bexley Grammar, Blackfen School for Girls, Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar, Cleeve Park, Haberdashers' Crayford, Harris Academy Falconwood, Harris Garrard, Leigh Academy Bexley, Lift Bexleyheath, St Catherine's, Townley Grammar, Trinity and Welling. The nearest college is North Kent College, a further-education college 3.5 miles away.
London South East CollegesFurther-education college · BR2 8HE
6.8 mi
Special needs
Special schools and alternative provision in Bexley
Bexley has 7 special schools (Aspire, Cleeve Meadow, Cornerstone, Endeavour Academy Bexley, Marlborough, Shenstone and Woodside: 964 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), Bexley 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 ↑
Bexley Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
15th of 46 English towns and cities of 172,000 to 332,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns and cities either side of Bexley, and the top and bottom of the group.
Swanley 7 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 4.7 mi
A
65%
54.9
Hawley 0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 4.7 mi
A+
71%
58
Hawley 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 Bexley: 14% (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 Bexley
Are schools in Bexley good?
Bexley’s state schools earn an A against schools across England: primary results beat 81% 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 Bexley council.
What is the best secondary school in Bexley?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School: Attainment 8 of 75.3 and 98% 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 Bexley?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, St John Fisher Catholic Primary School: 91% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Bexley secondary schools have sixth forms?
14 of 16 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Bexley?
Through Bexley 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 Bexley are full?
13 of 75 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 Bexley?
84 open state-funded schools are located in Bexley’s built-up area: 61 primary, 16 secondary and 7 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.
