A council (local authority) in the South East
In short: Most primary schools here are rated Good or better, about the same as across England. Results at 11 are close to England, and results at 16 were above England in 2026. Attendance is close to the England figure.
Reading at a glance
How Reading's schools compare with England, area by area.
Primary and secondary schools are ranked by Eduscope score, which weighs up results, inspections, attendance and more. Nurseries, special and independent schools aren't ranked. A high score isn't everything: always visit.
40 mainstream schools in Reading, best first
Results well above the England average.
Met the standard at 11100%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
63 first choices, 50 offers made
Met the standard at 1179%
England 62%
Results above the England average.
56 first choices, 60 offers made
Met the standard at 1169%
England 62%
11 mainstream schools in Reading, best first
Results well above the England average.
351 first choices, 127 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1682.4
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
400 first choices, 146 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1680.6
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
191 first choices, 243 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1654.9
England 46.2
50 in Reading, highest Ofsted grade first
Reading, RG2 7NT · State · Nursery · Ages 2 to 5
No published results yet.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Reading, RG4 5NA · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
Reading, RG30 3HD · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
17 in Reading, by the school's Eduscope score
Results well above the England average.
351 first choices, 127 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1682.4
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
400 first choices, 146 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1680.6
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
191 first choices, 243 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1654.9
England 46.2
5 in Reading. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Reading, RG2 7AY · Independent · All-through · Ages 7 to 16
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Reading, RG1 5SG · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Reading, RG30 4BZ · All-through · Ages 4 to 16
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
9 in Reading. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
Reading, RG4 8JZ · Independent · Primary · Ages 3 to 11
Independent school. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Reading, RG2 7AY · Independent · All-through · Ages 7 to 16
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Rg1 4qz · Independent · All-through · Ages 3 to 16
Independent school. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Each dot is a school or nursery, coloured by its latest Ofsted grade. Point at a dot to see its name, or use the list.
Apply through the council where you live, even for a school in another council's area. Independent schools take applications directly.
Reading is a unitary authority in the South East with 40 mainstream primary schools and 11 mainstream secondary schools. It has 2 grammar schools, which choose pupils by a test. 25.7% of secondary offers are for a school in another council, against 8.0% across England. Pupil numbers have grown 10% since 2018.
From Reading council's website, checked 7 November 2026. Check the council's pages before you apply.
School admissions team: schooladmissions@reading.gov.uk · 0118 937 3777
If a date falls on a weekend or bank holiday, offers go out the next working day.
91.1%got their first-choice primary school in Reading in 2026. England: 92.4%. Ranked 108 of 151 councils. 98.6% got one of their top three.9.7% were offered a primary school in another council. England: 3.6%.
73.1%got their first-choice secondary school in Reading in 2026. England: 83.6%. Ranked 126 of 151 councils. 93.3% got one of their top three.25.7% were offered a secondary school in another council. England: 8.0%.
Source: DfE applications and offers, 2026. A low rate shows high demand, not poor schools.
2 of 42 primary appeals heard in Reading succeeded in 2025. 6 of 49 secondary appeals heard in Reading succeeded in 2025.
| Term | Starts | Half term | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn | 2 Sept | Breaks up 23 Oct, back 2 Nov | 18 Dec |
| Spring | 4 Jan | Breaks up 12 Feb, back 22 Feb | 25 Mar |
| Summer | 12 Apr | Breaks up 28 May, back 7 Jun | 21 Jul |
For schools that follow the council's dates. Academies, faith and foundation schools can set their own, and schools add training days. Source, checked 6 November 2026.
Pick a stage to see every Reading school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
All 39 inspected are Good or better.
50nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
100% Good or better. 62% met the standard at 11.
50schools
Ages 11 to 16
2 Outstanding, 5 Good, 1 need to improve. 55% got grade 5 in English and maths.
22schools
All 4 inspected are Good or better. About 6 pupils per teacher.
5schools
Here's how Reading's schools break down by type, faith and more.
Some areas, like parts of a bigger town, are easiest to find by postcode.
Inspections, exam results and attendance, next to the figure for England where we have it.
ReadingEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 24 primaries with one.
100%
England 96%
Close to England
Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding
7 of the 8 with a grade.
88%
England 93%
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
62%
England 62%
Close to England
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
55%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
19%
England 18%
Close to England
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
22%
Latest graded inspection for the 42 schools that have one.
98%
Good or Outstanding
Reading in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
The latest published year for each measure. Sources and years are on our data sources page.
| Measure | Reading | England |
|---|---|---|
| Good or Outstanding (Ofsted) | 98% | 95% |
| Met the expected standard at 11 (KS2) | 62% | 62% |
| Attainment 8 | 51.1 | 46.2 |
| Persistent absence | 19% | 18% |
| Pupils per teacher | 17.6:1 | 17.9:1 |
| Spending per pupil | £8,220 | £8,120 |
| In education or work after 16 | 90% | 91% |
| Went on to higher education | 63% | 56% |
| Pupils with special educational needs | 20% | 21% |
| Pupils with English as an additional language | 37% | 22% |
| Pupils on free school meals | 22% | 27% |
DfE local authority code 870, ONS code E06000038.
Reading has 115 schools and nurseries.
There are 10% more pupils than in 2018, but numbers have fallen since 2025.
22% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Reading's state schools each January.
Up 10% since 2018. More children can mean popular schools fill up faster.
Out of every 10 primary pupils, how many get free school meals. It's a sign of family income, not of school quality.
Reading22%
Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.
Reading has 115 schools, including 50 primary schools, 22 secondary schools, 50 nurseries, 9 independent schools, 5 special schools. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Reading on Eduscope are All Saints Junior School, Kendrick School, Reading School. We rank each state school against schools of the same phase across England on its Ofsted inspection, results and attendance. Independent, special and nursery schools aren't ranked.
98% of inspected schools in Reading hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is above the England average of 94.8%. This includes 6 schools rated Outstanding and 35 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Reading, 62% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths at Key Stage 2. This is based on the latest published results from the Department for Education.
The average pupil-teacher ratio across schools in Reading is 17.6:1. While not a direct measure of class size, this indicates the level of teaching resource available per pupil. Across England it is 17.9:1.
The persistent absence rate across schools in Reading is 19.0%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 24,241 pupils enrolled across schools in Reading, with 13,500 in primary and 10,264 in secondary. 21.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 9 independent schools in Reading. Fees vary by school and age group, with day school fees typically ranging from £10,000 to £20,000 per year. You can compare all private schools in Reading on Eduscope, including ISI inspection ratings where available.
Start by considering your child's age, your location, and whether you prefer a state or independent school. Use Eduscope to compare 115 schools in Reading by Ofsted ratings, exam results, and distance. Filter by school type, gender, religious character, and admissions policy to narrow your options.
Sources: DfE school performance tables, DfE school census and workforce, DfE pupil absence, Ofsted. Photos are stand-ins.
