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Schools in the East of England

A region of England

  • Region
  • 5,030 schools and nurseries
  • 958,997 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 of England at a glance

Close to England on most measures

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

DfE and Ofsted data, 2014 to 2026How we work this out
  • Schools and nurseries5,0301,976 primary · 374 secondary · 2,253 nurseries
  • Primaries Good or better96%England 96%
  • Met the standard at 1161%England 62%
  • Grade 5 in English and maths47%Attainment 8 47.1, England 46.2
  • Free school meals, primary21%A sign of family income
  • Missed a lot of school18%England 18%
Councils

The 11 councils in the East of England

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

PeterboroughLutonSouthend-on-SeaThurrockBedfordCentral BedfordshireCambridgeshireEssexHertfordshireNorfolkSuffolk
CouncilFirst choice, primaryFirst choice, secondarySecondary, another council
Bedford93.4%90.6%1.3%
Cambridgeshire94.7%88.3%5.0%
Central Bedfordshire90.3%91.0%19.7%
Essex90.3%83.4%6.8%
Hertfordshire89.1%77.5%3.4%
Luton92.6%82.8%2.7%
Norfolk94.4%94.1%1.8%
Peterborough94.8%82.9%3.6%
Southend-on-Sea87.8%78.3%9.1%
Suffolk94.9%92.7%2.7%
Thurrock90.1%74.8%10.1%

91.7%got their first-choice primary school in the East of England in 2026. England: 92.4%. 98.2% got one of their top three.2.1% were offered a primary school in another council. England: 3.6%.

85.0%got their first-choice secondary school in the East of England in 2026. England: 83.6%. 95.3% got one of their top three.4.8% 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 of England

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 of England primary schools

Top Primary Schools in the East of England

1,976 mainstream schools in the East of England, best first

The Russell School

Rickmansworth, WD3 5RR · State · Primary · Ages 3 to 11

  • Ofsted:Outstanding in every area

Results well above the England average.

48 first choices, 29 offers made

Met the standard at 1186%

England 62%

Days missed
2.9%
Pupils
237
Pupils per teacher
22.4
View school The Russell School

Harvey Road Primary School

Rickmansworth, WD3 3BN · State · Primary · Ages 3 to 11

  • Ofsted:Outstanding

Results well above the England average.

45 first choices, 29 offers made

Met the standard at 1187%

England 62%

Days missed
2.8%
Pupils
240
Pupils per teacher
21.3
View school Harvey Road Primary School
See all 2,307 primary schools

Top Secondary Schools in the East of England

374 mainstream schools in the East of England, best first

See all 713 secondary schools

Nurseries in the East of England

2,253 in the East of England, highest Ofsted grade first

See all 2,253 nurseries

Sixth Forms in the East of England

403 in the East of England, by the school's Eduscope score

See all 403 sixth forms

Special Schools in the East of England

216 in the East of England. Eduscope doesn't rank these.

Acorn Park School

Norwich, NR16 2HU · Independent · All-through · Ages 4 to 19

  • ISI:Inspected

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

Results

Not published for this kind of school.

Days missed
–
Pupils
175
Pupils per teacher
–
View school Acorn Park School

All Saints School

Norwich, NR12 0DJ · Independent · All-through · Ages 6 to 16

  • Ofsted:Strong standard or better

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

Results

Not published for this kind of school.

Days missed
–
Pupils
79
Pupils per teacher
–
View school All Saints School

Amwell View School

Ware, SG12 8EH · Special · All-through · Ages 2 to 19

  • Ofsted:Outstanding

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

Results

Not published for this kind of school.

Days missed
9.3%
Pupils
194
Pupils per teacher
6.9
View school Amwell View School
See all 216 special schools

Private Schools in the East of England

241 in the East of England. Eduscope doesn't rank these.

Acorn Park School

Norwich, NR16 2HU · Independent · All-through · Ages 4 to 19

  • ISI:Inspected

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

Results

Not published for this kind of school.

Days missed
–
Pupils
175
Pupils per teacher
–
View school Acorn Park School

All Saints School

Norwich, NR12 0DJ · Independent · All-through · Ages 6 to 16

  • Ofsted:Strong standard or better

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

Results

Not published for this kind of school.

Days missed
–
Pupils
79
Pupils per teacher
–
View school All Saints School

Banks House School

Norwich, NR5 9HA · Independent · Secondary · Ages 13 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
10
Pupils per teacher
–
View school Banks House School
See all 241 private schools
By age

What's on offer for each age

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

More ways to narrow it down

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

East of England vs England

How good are East of England's schools?

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

Numbers that sum up East of England

East of EnglandEngland

  • Primaries rated Good or Outstanding

    Latest Ofsted grade, 1,449 primaries with one.

    96%

    England 96%

    Close to England

  • Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding

    226 of the 243 with a grade.

    93%

    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.

    47%

  • Pupils who miss a lot of school

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

    18%

    England 18%

    Close to England

  • Primary pupils on free school meals

    A sign of family income, not of school quality.

    21%

Ofsted grades

Latest graded inspection for the 1,885 schools that have one.

95%

Good or Outstanding

Each square is 1% of schools.

  • Outstanding196
  • Good1599
  • Requires improvement74
  • Inadequate16

How it has changed

East of England 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
47% in 2026.
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Covid gap0%15%30%20142015201620172018201920212022202320242025
18% 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 of EnglandEngland
Good or Outstanding (Ofsted)95%95%
Met the expected standard at 11 (KS2)61%62%
Attainment 847.146.2
Persistent absence18%18%
Pupils per teacher18.2:117.9:1
Spending per pupil£7,697£8,120
In education or work after 1692%91%
Went on to higher education53%56%
Pupils with special educational needs20%21%
Pupils with English as an additional language18%22%
Pupils on free school meals21%27%
Living here

What it's like for families

East of England has 5,030 schools and nurseries.

There are 7% more pupils than in 2018.

21% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.

Pupil numbers

Pupils in the East of England's state schools each January.

Up 7% 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 of England21%

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 of England

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

Find a school to follow
Questions

Questions parents ask about East of England

Areas in the East of England

How many schools are in the East of England?

East of England has 5,030 schools, including 2307 primary schools, 713 secondary schools, 2253 nurseries, 241 independent schools, 216 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 of England?

The highest-ranked schools in the East of England on Eduscope are The Russell School, Harvey Road Primary School, Shenfield St. Mary's 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 of England are rated Good or Outstanding?

95% of inspected schools in the East of England hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is above the England average of 94.8%. This includes 196 schools rated Outstanding and 1599 rated Good.

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

Across primary schools in the East of England, 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 of England?

The average pupil-teacher ratio across schools in the East of England is 18.2:1. 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 of England schools?

The persistent absence rate across schools in the East of England is 17.5%. 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 of England?

There are 958,997 pupils enrolled across schools in the East of England, with 508,778 in primary and 441,248 in secondary. 21.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.

How many private schools are in the East of England?

There are 241 independent schools in the East of England. 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 of England on Eduscope, including ISI inspection ratings where available.

How do I choose the right school in the East of England?

Start by considering your child's age, your location, and whether you prefer a state or independent school. Use Eduscope to compare 5,030 schools in the East of England 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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