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Reading School

Secondary · Reading · RG1 5LW

Data updated

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Outstanding

Graded inspection under the pre-November 2025 system

This is an overall-effectiveness grade from the previous inspection framework. The school has not yet had a report-card inspection.

Quality of education: OutstandingBehaviour & attitudes: OutstandingPersonal development: OutstandingLeadership & management: OutstandingSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 21 November 2023

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

1,138 pupils · 104% of 1,094 capacity (over capacity) (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy converter
Age range
11–18
Gender
Boys
Admissions
Selective
Free school meals
4.7% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
19.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
3.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
0.7% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
http://www.reading-school.co.uk/
URN
136449

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 400 families named it first for 146 Year 7 places, 2.74 first choices per place. We hold 8 Year 7 admissions rounds for it, 2019 to 2026; none was decided by a published distance. Ofsted last graded it Outstanding on 21 November 2023, under the framework used before November 2025. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 4.6% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

2.74 first-choice applications per place

146 places offered · 400 first-choice applications · heavily oversubscribed

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Places for 2026 entry were decided by test scores, not distance.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 7

Places for 2026 entry were decided by test scores, not distance.

Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

GCSE results (2024/2025)

149 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
83
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
100%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
100%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
8.2
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

A-level results (2024/2025)

A-level points per entry (England: 35 ≈ B-) A
49
England 35

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school83
Median of its 12 closest peers68.1
Reading average53.8
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is ahead of the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
Colyton Grammar SchoolColyton · 105 miles awayOutstanding78.8
Sir Thomas Rich's SchoolGloucester · 61 miles awayStrong standard77.2
St Joseph's CollegeStoke-on-Trent · 119 miles awayOutstanding62.4
Oakwood Park Grammar SchoolMaidstone · 64 miles awayGood68.9
Kendrick SchoolReading · under 1 mile awayOutstanding84
Urmston Grammar AcademyManchester · 150 miles awayStrong standard71.7
John Hampden Grammar SchoolHigh Wycombe · 14 miles awayOutstanding72.3
Wilmington Grammar School for BoysDartford · 50 miles awayGood64.6
The Norton Knatchbull SchoolAshford · 82 miles awayGood67.3
Maidstone Grammar School for GirlsMaidstone · 64 miles awayOutstanding66.4
Barton Court Grammar SchoolCanterbury · 89 miles awayGood66.4
Wilmington Grammar School for GirlsDartford · 49 miles awayGood66.7

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

Asian Indian 46% (Reading 16%, England 4%) · White British 13% (Reading 28%, England 59%) · Asian Chinese 7% (Reading 3%, England 1%) · Asian Pakistani 6% (Reading 7%, England 5%) · Any other Mixed background 5% (Reading 4%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Asian 5% (Reading 3%, England 2%) · Any other Asian background 5% (Reading 8%, England 3%) · Any other White background 5% (Reading 10%, England 7%) · Black African 3% (Reading 8%, England 5%) · Any other ethnic group 2% (Reading 2%, England 3%) · Not recorded 1% (Reading 3%, England 2%) · Asian Bangladeshi 1% (Reading 1%, England 2%) · other groups together 1%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
4.6%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
9.6%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

2.21 suspensions per 100 pupils and 1 permanent exclusion · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Reading: 22.87 suspensions and 0.16 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
17.7
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

90% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 3% moved to another state school · 7% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, secondary academies: 0.45% vacant, 0.33% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

69.6% of teachers took sickness absence, 5.1 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £57,971; 8.2% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£10,541
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 62% (77%) · premises 11% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 6% (6%) · supplies and services 15% (11%) · educational supplies 10% (6%) · bought-in professional services 2% (1%) · catering 3% (3%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £2,254,000; in-year balance -£641,000

Spending and reserves, last three years Premium

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
99%
Continuing in education
99%
Apprenticeship
1%
Employment
0%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
84%
Apprenticeship
2%
Employment
2%
Any sustained destination
89%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
7/10less deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
8/10less deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher59.8%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications6.1%18.1%
In managerial or professional work47.5%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways11.6%18.1%
Residents in very good health55.5%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier33.7%62.3%
Social housing10.6%17.1%
Privately rented55.6%20.5%
Detached houses10.7%22.9%
Flats64.3%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms23%21.1%
Households with no car or van40.9%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01016414 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£295,000565 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£233,000–£365,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (32)£662,500
Semi-detached (48)£546,500
Terraced (229)£325,000
Flat (256)£231,000

Homes around this school are dearer than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
2an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
6an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
45an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
6an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools