Kingston upon Thames’s secondaries are among England’s strongest at GCSE: an Attainment 8 score of 61.5, above London’s towns and towns in England
Set beside other towns, Kingston upon Thames comes out above both London’s towns (51.7) and towns in England (45.9). 50 state-funded schools are located in Kingston upon Thames’s built-up area. Kingston upon Thames grades A+ for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #7 of 33 in London. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Kingston upon Thames’s secondary results beat 98% of English towns; its primary results beat 86%. 69% 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 Kingston upon Thames. The spread between primaries is wide: 81% at Latchmere School, 37% at St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School. Every school’s result ↓
Grammar schools in town
The Tiffin Girls' School and Tiffin School admit pupils by a test at 11. Their results count in Kingston upon Thames’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
Kingston upon Thames grades A+ for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (69% meet the standard)Better than 86% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (61.5 and 71%)Better than 98% of towns in England
Each of Kingston upon Thames’s 30 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
Each of Kingston upon Thames’s 10 secondaries: Attainment 8 (2025/26)
England’s average schoolKingston upon Thames’s average school
The primary figure: 30 primaries in the town, 5,430 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 10 secondaries in the town, 1,801 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 Kingston upon Thames’s 50 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 Kingston upon Thames’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 Tiffin School to 41% at King's Oak Primary School. Against schools with the same intake, The Tiffin Girls' School does best: 86 with 7% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 55. 21 of 30 primaries and 8 of 10 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 Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames Council handles applications for every state school in Kingston upon Thames, 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. 17 of Kingston upon Thames’s 44 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%; 14 schools are at or over it.
Burlington Infant incl. nursery128%
The Tiffin Girls'127%
The Holy Cross120%
Castle Hill incl. nursery116%
Richard Challoner112%
Alexandra incl. nursery110%
St Joseph's incl. nursery109%
Tiffin106%
Knollmead incl. nursery105%
The Hollyfield School and Sixth Form Centre104%
Show all 44 schools
Tolworth Girls' School and Sixth Form104%
Southborough High102%
The Kingston102%
Coombe Hill Infant100%
St Paul's100%
Coombe Hill Junior99%
St Andrew's and St Mark's99%
Burlington Junior99%
St Luke's incl. nursery98%
Malden Parochial incl. nursery98%
Fern Hill incl. nursery97%
Tolworth Junior97%
Coombe Girls'96%
Grand Avenue incl. nursery96%
St Matthew's96%
King Athelstan incl. nursery91%
Christ Church90%
Corpus Christi incl. nursery90%
Our Lady Immaculate90%
Tolworth Infant incl. nursery88%
Maple Infants' incl. nursery88%
Chessington87%
Latchmere incl. nursery87%
St Paul's86%
Christ Church New Malden incl. nursery84%
Lovelace incl. nursery84%
St Mary's incl. nursery81%
St John's incl. nursery80%
St Agatha's incl. nursery79%
Robin Hood incl. nursery75%
Malden Manor incl. nursery72%
Ellingham incl. nursery66%
King's Oak incl. nursery53%
Lime Tree48%
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
50 state schools in Kingston upon Thames
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 Kingston upon Thames’s schoolsA24B8C7D110 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 6Good 10Report card 7Ungraded inspection only 26No 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. 7 of Kingston upon Thames’s 50 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
Christ the Redeemer Catholic Education TrustRichard Challoner, Corpus Christi, Our Lady Immaculate, St Agatha's, St Joseph's
5
2,418
AA−B+A−B−
Helix Learning TrustCoombe Girls', Knollmead, Robin Hood
3
1,903
AB−C
Orchard Hill College Academy TrustDysart, St Philip's, Bedelsford
3
555
—
Kingston Educational TrustThe Kingston, Fern Hill
2
1,876
A+A
Every Child, Every Day Academy TrustThe Hollyfield School and Sixth Form Centre, Chessington
2
1,865
A−C
Tolworth Girls' School and Sixth FormTolworth Girls' School and Sixth Form
1
1,529
A−
Tiffin SchoolTiffin
1
1,478
A+
Tiffin Girls' SchoolThe Tiffin Girls'
1
1,267
A+
Holy Cross SchoolThe Holy Cross
1
994
A
Learning Partners Academy TrustSouthborough High
1
935
B
Latchmere Academy TrustLatchmere
1
710
A
Castle Hill Academies TrustCastle Hill
1
514
C−
Surbiton Education Health TrustLime Tree
1
203
C−
Ambitious About Autism Schools TrustSpring
1
55
—
Kingston upon Thames CouncilGrand Avenue, Lovelace, Burlington Junior, Alexandra, Burlington Infant, Christ Church, St Matthew's, King's Oak, King Athelstan, Tolworth Junior, Coombe Hill Junior, St Andrew's and St Mark's, Christ Church New Malden, Malden Manor, St Paul's, Tolworth Infant, Maple Infants', Ellingham, Coombe Hill Infant, St Luke's, Malden Parochial, St John's, Malden Oaks School and Tuition Service, St Paul's, St Mary's, Surbiton Hill Nursery
26
8,797
A−CA−A−A−B+C−C+B+A−AA−A−A−BAA−A−B−D−
After 16
Where Kingston upon Thames’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
9 of Kingston upon Thames’s 10 state secondaries have sixth forms: Coombe Girls', Richard Challoner, Southborough High, The Hollyfield School and Sixth Form Centre, The Holy Cross, The Kingston, The Tiffin Girls', Tiffin and Tolworth Girls' School and Sixth Form. South Thames Colleges Group, a further-education college, is in the London borough.
Special schools and alternative provision in Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames has 4 special schools (Bedelsford, Dysart, Spring and St Philip's: 610 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), Kingston upon Thames 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 ↑
Kingston upon Thames Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
5th of 40 English towns and cities of 116,000 to 225,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns and cities either side of Kingston upon Thames, and the top and bottom of the group.
Richmond upon Thames 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 Kingston upon Thames: 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 Kingston upon Thames
Are schools in Kingston upon Thames good?
Kingston upon Thames’s state schools earn an A+ against schools across England: primary results beat 86% of towns in England; secondary results beat 98% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Kingston upon Thames council.
What is the best secondary school in Kingston upon Thames?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, The Tiffin Girls' School: Attainment 8 of 86 and 100% 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 Kingston upon Thames?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Latchmere School: 81% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Kingston upon Thames secondary schools have sixth forms?
9 of 10 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Kingston upon Thames?
Through Kingston upon Thames 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 Kingston upon Thames are full?
14 of 44 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 Kingston upon Thames?
50 open state-funded schools are located in Kingston upon Thames’s built-up area: 34 primary, 10 secondary and 6 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.
