Best secondary schools in Reading
9 of 14 secondary schools ranked by Progress 8 · all Reading schools · primary schools
Ranked on Progress 8, 2023/24 — the most recent year each school has published. Official data, not our opinion — but the ranking is only as good as the measure, and a single number never describes a school. We hold real catchment boundaries for 4 of them.
- 7 of 14 rated Good or Outstanding
- 3 oversubscribed on first preference
- 5 Good or better and undersubscribed — the overlooked ones
- Median Progress 8: 0.05 (best 1.07)
| # | School | Progress 8 | Ofsted | Places | Catchment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kendrick School Reading grammar | 1.07 | Outstanding | oversubscribed 2.76 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 2 | Reading School Reading grammar | 0.89 | Outstanding | oversubscribed 2.74 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 3 | Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre Reading hidden gem | 0.25 | Good improving | undersubscribed 0.79 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 4 | Maiden Erlegh School in Reading Reading hidden gem | 0.12 | Good | undersubscribed 0.78 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 5 | Reading Girls' School Reading hidden gem | 0.05 | Good | undersubscribed 0.66 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 6 | Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School Reading hidden gem | -0.02 | Good | undersubscribed 0.76 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | approximate |
| 7 | The WREN School Reading | -0.13 | Requires improvement | undersubscribed 0.6 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 8 | King's Academy Prospect Reading hidden gem | -0.39 | Good improving | undersubscribed 0.72 first prefs per place, 2026/27 | mapped |
| 9 | UTC Reading Reading | -0.8 | Not judged declining | — | approximate |
Also in Reading
5 further secondary schools with no published Progress 8 for the latest year — usually too small a cohort to report, newly opened, or a special school. Listed because leaving them out would make this a misleading picture of Reading, not a fairer one.
- Hartland High School Ofsted: Inadequate
- Leighton Park School
- Queen Anne's School
- Red Balloon Learner Centre Reading
- River Academy
Applying in Reading
Knowing which school is best is only half of it — these are the deadlines that decide whether you can apply at all.
- Secondary application deadline 2026-10-31 · 2027 entry Common Application Form deadline
- Primary (Reception) application deadline 2027-01-15 · 2027 entry Primary (Reception) application deadline for September 2027 entry. National statutory deadline 15 January 2027; apply via your home local authority.
- Secondary National Offer Day 2027-03-01 · 2027 entry National Offer Day
- Primary National Offer Day 2027-04-16 · 2027 entry Primary National Offer Day for September 2027 entry — Reception place offers (16 April).
- Secondary application deadline 2027-10-31 · 2028 entry Secondary Common Application Form (CAF) deadline for September 2028 entry (Year 7). National statutory deadline 31 October 2027; apply via your home local authority. Selective/grammar registration, if any, is a separate earlier deadline.
- Primary (Reception) application deadline 2028-01-15 · 2028 entry Primary (Reception) application deadline for September 2028 entry. National statutory deadline 15 January 2028; apply via your home local authority.
Rankings compare published results. They do not tell you which school your child will get into — that depends on where you live, sibling and faith priority, and how many people apply this year. Ask below, or check the Reading admission criteria.
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