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Schools in the East Midlands

A region of England

  • Region
  • 3,764 schools and nurseries
  • 724,423 pupils

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 close to England in 2026. Attendance is close to the England figure.

Three children with backpacks crossing a street
A red-brick school building under a blue sky

East Midlands at a glance

Close to England on most measures

How East Midlands's schools compare with England, area by area.

DfE and Ofsted data, 2014 to 2026How we work this out
  • Schools and nurseries3,7641,655 primary · 280 secondary · 1,506 nurseries
  • Primaries Good or better95%England 96%
  • Met the standard at 1161%England 62%
  • Grade 5 in English and maths45%Attainment 8 45.8, England 46.2
  • Free school meals, primary26%A sign of family income
  • Missed a lot of school17%England 18%
Councils

The 10 councils in the East Midlands

Councils run admissions, so this is the best way to narrow things down. Apply through the council where you live.

DerbyLeicesterRutlandNottinghamNorth NorthamptonshireWest NorthamptonshireDerbyshireLeicestershireLincolnshireNottinghamshire
CouncilFirst choice, primaryFirst choice, secondarySecondary, another council
Derby94.4%81.7%4.3%
Derbyshire94.5%94.5%7.9%
Leicester96.8%83.9%11.6%
Leicestershire94.0%90.2%5.1%
Lincolnshire96.3%84.7%3.7%
North Northamptonshire93.9%85.2%7.6%
Nottingham94.9%80.3%11.3%
Nottinghamshire99.1%92.5%4.9%
Rutland94.5%93.1%6.3%
West Northamptonshire94.6%75.8%2.6%

95.6%got their first-choice primary school in the East Midlands in 2026. England: 92.4%. 99.3% got one of their top three.3.5% were offered a primary school in another council. England: 3.6%.

87.1%got their first-choice secondary school in the East Midlands in 2026. England: 83.6%. 96.5% got one of their top three.6.2% 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.

Top-rated

The highest-rated schools in the East Midlands

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.

All East Midlands primary schools

Top Primary Schools in the East Midlands

1,655 mainstream schools in the East Midlands, best first

Redhill Primary School

Derby, DE72 3SF · Academy · Primary · Ages 5 to 11

  • Ofsted:Outstanding

Results well above the England average.

45 first choices, 30 offers made

Met the standard at 11100%

England 62%

Days missed
3.3%
Pupils
215
Pupils per teacher
25.0
View school Redhill Primary School

Yardley Hastings Primary School

Northampton, NN7 1EL · State · Primary · Ages 3 to 11

  • Ofsted:Outstanding

Results well above the England average.

10 first choices, 10 offers made

Met the standard at 1187%

England 62%

Days missed
3.3%
Pupils
104
Pupils per teacher
20.8
View school Yardley Hastings Primary School
See all 1,890 primary schools

Top Secondary Schools in the East Midlands

280 mainstream schools in the East Midlands, best first

Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School

Grantham, NG31 9AU · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18 · Girls

  • Ofsted:Outstanding

Results well above the England average.

268 first choices, 180 offers made

Attainment 8 at 1668.4

England 46.2

Days missed
4.3%
Pupils
1,238
Pupils per teacher
19.0
View school Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School

The West Bridgford School

Nottingham, NG2 7FA · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18

  • Ofsted:Outstanding

Results well above the England average.

331 first choices, 267 offers made

Attainment 8 at 1661.4

England 46.2

Days missed
4.5%
Pupils
1,809
Pupils per teacher
17.0
View school The West Bridgford School
See all 538 secondary schools

Nurseries in the East Midlands

1,506 in the East Midlands, highest Ofsted grade first

Alfreton Nursery School

Alfreton, DE55 7SH · State · Nursery · Ages 2 to 5

  • Ofsted:Outstanding

No published results yet.

Results

Not published for this kind of school.

Days missed
–
Pupils
74
Pupils per teacher
11.7
View school Alfreton Nursery School
See all 1,506 nurseries

Sixth Forms in the East Midlands

289 in the East Midlands, by the school's Eduscope score

Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School

Grantham, NG31 9AU · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18 · Girls

  • Ofsted:Outstanding

Results well above the England average.

268 first choices, 180 offers made

Attainment 8 at 1668.4

England 46.2

Days missed
4.3%
Pupils
1,238
Pupils per teacher
19.0
View school Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School

The West Bridgford School

Nottingham, NG2 7FA · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18

  • Ofsted:Outstanding

Results well above the England average.

331 first choices, 267 offers made

Attainment 8 at 1661.4

England 46.2

Days missed
4.5%
Pupils
1,809
Pupils per teacher
17.0
View school The West Bridgford School
See all 289 sixth forms

Special Schools in the East Midlands

200 in the East Midlands. Eduscope doesn't rank these.

Alderwasley Hall School

Derbyshire, DE56 2SR · Independent · All-through · Ages 5 to 20

  • Ofsted:Outstanding

Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.

Results

Not published for this kind of school.

Days missed
–
Pupils
115
Pupils per teacher
–
View school Alderwasley Hall School

Ash Field Academy

Leicester, LE5 4PY · Academy · All-through · Ages 4 to 19

  • Ofsted:Outstanding

Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.

Results

Not published for this kind of school.

Days missed
22.1%
Pupils
162
Pupils per teacher
8.2
View school Ash Field Academy

Ashgate Croft School

Chesterfield, S40 4BN · Academy · All-through · Ages 4 to 19

  • Ofsted:Outstanding

Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.

Results

Not published for this kind of school.

Days missed
9.7%
Pupils
160
Pupils per teacher
7.1
View school Ashgate Croft School
See all 200 special schools

Private Schools in the East Midlands

189 in the East Midlands. Eduscope doesn't rank these.

Alderwasley Hall School

Derbyshire, DE56 2SR · Independent · All-through · Ages 5 to 20

  • Ofsted:Outstanding

Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.

Results

Not published for this kind of school.

Days missed
–
Pupils
115
Pupils per teacher
–
View school Alderwasley Hall School

Easthorpe School

Ng11 6lq · Independent · All-through · Ages 7 to 18

  • Ofsted:Outstanding

Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.

Results

Not published for this kind of school.

Days missed
–
Pupils
64
Pupils per teacher
–
View school Easthorpe School

High Grange School

Mickleover, DE3 0DR · Independent · All-through · Ages 5 to 19

  • Ofsted:Outstanding

Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.

Results

Not published for this kind of school.

Days missed
–
Pupils
94
Pupils per teacher
–
View school High Grange School
See all 189 private schools
By age

What's on offer for each age

Pick a stage to see every East Midlands school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.

More ways to narrow it down

Here's how East Midlands's schools break down by type, faith and more.

East Midlands vs England

How good are East Midlands's schools?

Inspections, exam results and attendance, next to the figure for England where we have it.

Numbers that sum up East Midlands

East MidlandsEngland

  • Primaries rated Good or Outstanding

    Latest Ofsted grade, 1,192 primaries with one.

    95%

    England 96%

    Close to England

  • Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding

    170 of the 185 with a grade.

    92%

    England 93%

    Close to England

  • Met the expected standard at 11

    Reading, writing and maths.

    61%

    England 62%

    Close to England

  • Grade 5 or above in English and maths

    At GCSE.

    45%

  • Pupils who miss a lot of school

    Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.

    17%

    England 18%

    Close to England

  • Primary pupils on free school meals

    A sign of family income, not of school quality.

    26%

Ofsted grades

Latest graded inspection for the 1,568 schools that have one.

95%

Good or Outstanding

Each square is 1% of schools.

  • Outstanding116
  • Good1371
  • Requires improvement67
  • Inadequate14

How it has changed

East Midlands in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.

Met the expected standard at 11
Covid gap50%60%70%20182019202320242025
61% in 2025. England now 62% (dashed line).
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
Covid gap30%45%60%2018201920222023202420252026
45% in 2026.
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Covid gap0%15%30%20142015201620172018201920212022202320242025
17% in 2025. England now 18% (dashed line).

The figures in full

The latest published year for each measure. Sources and years are on our data sources page.

MeasureEast MidlandsEngland
Good or Outstanding (Ofsted)95%95%
Met the expected standard at 11 (KS2)61%62%
Attainment 845.846.2
Persistent absence17%18%
Pupils per teacher18.5:117.9:1
Spending per pupil£7,712£8,120
In education or work after 1691%91%
Went on to higher education57%56%
Pupils with special educational needs19%21%
Pupils with English as an additional language19%22%
Pupils on free school meals26%27%
Living here

What it's like for families

East Midlands has 3,764 schools and nurseries.

There are 5% more pupils than in 2018.

26% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.

Pupil numbers

Pupils in the East Midlands's state schools each January.

Up 5% since 2018. More children can mean popular schools fill up faster.

Free school meals

Out of every 10 primary pupils, how many get free school meals. It's a sign of family income, not of school quality.

East Midlands26%

Dates to know

Apply through your local council, even for academies and faith schools.

  • 31 OctSecondary deadlineFor children starting Year 7.
  • 15 JanPrimary deadlineFor children starting Reception.
  • 1 MarSecondary offersOffers day for Year 7 places.
  • 16 AprPrimary offersOffers day for Reception places.

Keep up with schools in the East Midlands

Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.

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Questions

Questions parents ask about East Midlands

Areas in the East Midlands

How many schools are in the East Midlands?

East Midlands has 3,764 schools, including 1890 primary schools, 538 secondary schools, 1506 nurseries, 189 independent schools, 200 special schools. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.

What are the best schools in the East Midlands?

The highest-ranked schools in the East Midlands on Eduscope are Redhill Primary School, Yardley Hastings Primary School, William Gilbert Endowed Church of England Primary 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.

What percentage of schools in the East Midlands are rated Good or Outstanding?

95% of inspected schools in the East Midlands hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is above the England average of 94.8%. This includes 116 schools rated Outstanding and 1371 rated Good.

How do primary schools in the East Midlands perform at Key Stage 2?

Across primary schools in the East Midlands, 61% 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.

What is the average pupil-teacher ratio in the East Midlands?

The average pupil-teacher ratio across schools in the East Midlands is 18.5:1. 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.

What is the persistent absence rate in the East Midlands schools?

The persistent absence rate across schools in the East Midlands is 17.3%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.

How many pupils attend schools in the East Midlands?

There are 724,423 pupils enrolled across schools in the East Midlands, with 389,769 in primary and 330,365 in secondary. 26.0% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.

How many private schools are in the East Midlands?

There are 189 independent schools in the East Midlands. 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 the East Midlands on Eduscope, including ISI inspection ratings where available.

How do I choose the right school in the East Midlands?

Start by considering your child's age, your location, and whether you prefer a state or independent school. Use Eduscope to compare 3,764 schools in the East Midlands 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.

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