Westminster’s state schools get better results than 94% of towns in England
At Key Stage 2, 72% of pupils at Westminster’s primaries met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, above both London’s towns (70%) and towns in England (62%). 53 state-funded schools are located in Westminster’s built-up area. Westminster grades A for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #9 of 33 in London. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Westminster’s secondary results beat 88% of English towns; its primary results beat 92%. 72% 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 73% across Westminster. The spread between primaries is wide: 100% at Hampden Gurney CofE Primary School, 54% at St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary School. Every school’s result ↓
St Clement Danes beats its intake
Schools with more pupils on free school meals usually get lower results. At St Clement Danes CofE Primary School, 27% of pupils are on free school meals and 93% meet the expected standard; a typical school in England with that intake reaches 61%. Results and intake ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Westminster grades A for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (72% meet the standard)Better than 92% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (53.3 and 59%)Better than 88% of towns in England
Each of Westminster’s 33 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
Each of Westminster’s 11 secondaries: Attainment 8 (2025/26)
England’s average schoolWestminster’s average school
The primary figure: 34 primaries in the town, 3,138 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 11 secondaries in the town, 1,722 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 Westminster’s 53 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 Westminster’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 11% at Hampden Gurney CofE Primary School to 68% at Harris Academy St John's Wood. Against schools with the same intake, Hampden Gurney CofE Primary School does best: 100% with 11% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 66%. 27 of 31 primaries and 11 of 11 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 Westminster
Westminster Council handles applications for every state school in Westminster, 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. 29 of Westminster’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%; 8 schools are at or over it.
St Joseph's incl. nursery126%
The Grey Coat Hospital108%
St George's106%
Paddington105%
St. Mary of the Angels incl. nursery104%
St Saviour's incl. nursery102%
Ark King Solomon incl. nursery101%
The St Marylebone101%
St John's Wood incl. nursery96%
St Augustine's Federated Schools: CE High95%
Show all 42 schools
Hampden Gurney incl. nursery94%
Ark Atwood incl. nursery93%
St Clement Danes92%
St Peter's91%
St Gabriel's89%
Westminster City89%
St Luke's89%
Harris Academy St John's Wood88%
St Augustines Federated Schools: incl. nursery86%
Pimlico86%
Queen's Park incl. nursery79%
Pimlico79%
All Souls incl. nursery78%
Westminster77%
St James & St John incl. nursery73%
Burdett-Coutts and Townshend Foundation incl. nursery72%
St Mary Magdalene & St Stephen's incl. nursery71%
St Barnabas' incl. nursery71%
St Peter's Eaton Square70%
St Mary's Bryanston Square incl. nursery69%
Wilberforce incl. nursery67%
Millbank Gardens incl. nursery62%
Gateway incl. nursery60%
Marylebone59%
Edward Wilson incl. nursery57%
Soho Parish incl. nursery53%
Essendine incl. nursery52%
Christ Church Bentinck incl. nursery52%
St Edward's incl. nursery47%
St Matthew's School, Westminster incl. nursery47%
Hallfield incl. nursery45%
St George's Hanover Square incl. nursery35%
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
53 state schools in Westminster
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 Westminster’s schoolsA25B12C7D09 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 9Good 14Report card 6Ungraded inspection only 22No published grade 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. 6 of Westminster’s 53 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
United Learning TrustPaddington, Marylebone, Wilberforce
Saint John Southworth Catholic Academy TrustSt Joseph's, St Vincent De Paul, St Vincent's
3
264
BB−A+
Harris FederationHarris Academy St John's Wood, Harris Westminster Sixth Form
2
1,936
A
Ark SchoolsArk King Solomon, Ark Atwood
2
1,738
B+A
St Marylebone Church of England SchoolThe St Marylebone
1
1,181
A
Cardinal Hume Academies TrustSt George's
1
1,170
A−
Grey Coat HospitalThe Grey Coat Hospital
1
1,167
A
Westminster Academy (Westbourne Green)Westminster
1
1,003
B−
Westminster City SchoolWestminster City
1
790
B
Gateway AcademyGateway
1
428
C+
St Marylebone Church of England Bridge SchoolThe St Marylebone
1
71
—
Ormiston Academies TrustOrmiston Beachcroft
1
51
—
Westminster CouncilSt Augustine's Federated Schools: CE High, St John's Wood, Edward Wilson, St. Mary of the Angels, Queen's Park, Essendine, Hampden Gurney, Hallfield, Christ Church Bentinck, St Saviour's, St Augustines Federated Schools:, St Edward's, St Clement Danes, St Peter's, St Gabriel's, St Luke's, All Souls, Burdett-Coutts and Townshend Foundation, St Mary Magdalene & St Stephen's, College Park, St Mary's Bryanston Square, St Peter's Eaton Square, St James & St John, St Barnabas', St Matthew's School, Westminster, Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee, Soho Parish, St George's Hanover Square, Dorothy Gardner Nursery, Portman Early Childhood Centre, Mary Paterson Nursery, Tachbrook Nursery
32
6,276
CA−BCB+AA+B+A+A−B−AA+CAA+AA+CAAA+CCB−A−
After 16
Where Westminster’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
Every state secondary in Westminster has its own sixth form. Harris Westminster Sixth Form is a state 16–19 school in the London borough. United Colleges Group, a further-education college, is in the London borough. Ada National College for Digital Skills, a further-education college, is in the London borough.
Special schools and alternative provision in Westminster
Westminster has 3 special schools (College Park, Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee and The St Marylebone: 331 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), Westminster 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 ↑
Westminster Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
7th of 41 English towns and cities of 142,000 to 275,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns and cities either side of Westminster, and the top and bottom of the group.
Hammersmith and Fulham 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 Westminster: 13% (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 Westminster
Are schools in Westminster good?
Westminster’s state schools earn an A against schools across England: primary results beat 92% of towns in England; secondary results beat 88% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Westminster council.
What is the best secondary school in Westminster?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, The Grey Coat Hospital: Attainment 8 of 62.9 and 79% 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 Westminster?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Hampden Gurney CofE Primary School: 100% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Westminster secondary schools have sixth forms?
Yes, all 11 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Westminster?
Through Westminster 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 Westminster are full?
8 of 42 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 Westminster?
53 open state-funded schools are located in Westminster’s built-up area: 34 primary, 11 secondary and 8 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.
