Schools near Ilford
51 open schools in Ilford, Redbridge · Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and admission criteria · see all Redbridge schools · grammar schools in Ilford
Ilford has 51 state schools: 34 primary, 11 secondary, part of Redbridge's wider catchment. 46 have a published Ofsted rating, and 41 of those are rated Good or Outstanding. 1 is a state grammar school and sets an entrance test.
Undersubscribed schools rated Good or Outstanding
These schools didn't fill on first preference in the latest admissions year, despite an Ofsted rating of Good or Outstanding — worth a look if you're chasing the same handful of famous names everyone else applies to.
How places are allocated in Redbridge
Primary schools: Only the two all-through schools (Seven Kings, Loxford) have a catchment area at primary; all other community primaries use distance-from-home as the default criterion. (source)
Most schools use the local authority's default scheme rather than a school-specific catchment map — see each school's page for its own designated/catchment area where one is published.
Redbridge entrance test format
One shared test for both Redbridge grammar schools (Ilford County High School and Woodford County High School): 1. English and Verbal Reasoning — one hour. 2. Mathematics and Non-Verbal Reasoning — one hour. Scores are age-standardised. A standardised score around the published threshold (historically 104) makes a child ELIGIBLE for consideration — it is a qualifying bar, not a ranking guarantee; oversubscription criteria then decide places. Register once with Redbridge council (historically 1 May to mid-June of Year 5); test in mid-September of Year 6; results by email in mid-October before the 31 October application deadline.
Key dates
| Entry year | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 2028 | Application deadline | 2027-10-31 |
| Sept 2028 | Primary application deadline | 2028-01-15 |
| Sept 2028 | Offer day | 2028-03-01 |
| Sept 2028 | Primary offer day | 2028-04-17 |
| Sept 2027 | Registration opens | 2026-05-01 (passed) |
| Sept 2027 | Registration closes | 2026-06-15 (passed) |
| Sept 2027 | Test date | 2026-09-18 |
| Sept 2027 | Results released | 2026-10-15 |
| Sept 2027 | Application deadline | 2026-10-31 |
| Sept 2027 | Primary application deadline | 2027-01-15 |
| Sept 2027 | Offer day | 2027-03-01 |
| Sept 2027 | Primary offer day | 2027-04-16 |
| Sept 2026 | Application deadline | 2025-10-31 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Primary application deadline | 2026-01-15 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Offer day | 2026-03-02 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Primary offer day | 2026-04-16 (passed) |
Out-of-area applications
Redbridge's two grammar schools — Ilford County High School (boys) and Woodford County High School (girls) — share the single Redbridge 11+ test: one registration (via the London Borough of Redbridge, historically 1 May to mid-June of Year 5) and one sitting in mid-September of Year 6. Children living outside Redbridge can register and sit the test — both schools draw from across east London and Essex. Results are emailed in mid-October; apply via your home LA's Common Application Form by 31 October. Reaching the qualifying standard makes a child eligible; when oversubscribed the schools apply their published criteria, so check each school's policy for distance/priority effects.
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