Reading
Reading School
GCSE results 2026: every Reading school ranked · how England did
Exceptional results, but a place depends on the entrance test rather than where you live — worth a look only if you are planning to sit it.
What the data says
Published data, read plainly. It tells you what to check next; it does not guarantee a place or replace your local authority’s admissions guidance.
Attainment 8 of 80.6 is well above the national average of around 46. This reflects strong GCSE outcomes across the standard subject basket.
- 80.6
- Attainment 8
- 97%
- 5+ Eng & Maths
- 2025/2026
- Academic year
Pupils made above-average progress compared with similar pupils nationally. The confidence interval is entirely above zero, which is strong evidence of added value.
- +0.89
- Progress 8
- [0.65, 1.13]
- Confidence interval
Admissions realism depends on your home postcode and the school's published allocation data. Enter your postcode on this page to get a more specific assessment, and always verify the latest policy on the school's official admissions page.
This is a selective school. Admission usually requires passing an entrance test. Check the school's admissions policy for test registration deadlines.
Watch-outs
- Selective admissions: an entrance test (usually the 11+ or equivalent) is required. Check registration and test dates well in advance.
What to do next
- Verify the school's official admissions policy
- Check entrance test registration dates
- Book an open day or school visit
- Add this school to your shortlist and compare with backup options
Starting school in September 2027
- Secondary (Year 7): apply by 31 October 2026; offers on 1 March 2027.
National dates for England. You apply through the council where you live, even for a school in another council.
Admissions and catchment
Year 7 entry · Reading council allocation figures, 2023–2026
Pupils on roll
School census count against building capacity
104% full. Source: Get Information about Schools, 26 September 2026. A full school can still have places in the entry year.
Sources — check them yourself
- 2026 (national offer day): Reading council allocation figures (PDF, page 51)
- 2025 (national offer day): Reading council allocation figures (PDF, page 54)
- 2023 (national offer day): Reading council allocation figures (PDF, page 44)
- Official admissions page: Reading. Use its address checker or booklet to confirm your own position.
Figures collected from council publications on 27 September 2026 and shown as printed, converted to km. Years the council did not publish are left blank. Past allocations never guarantee a place.
Applications and offers
National offer day figures that councils report to the Department for Education. These are counts only: they do not show how far away the last child offered a place lived.
Year 7 entry
| Year of entry | Places offered | Put it first | First choices offered | Applications (any preference) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 146 | 400 | 141 (35%) | 492 |
| September 2025 | 146 | 360 | 142 (39%) | 448 |
| September 2024 | 146 | 423 | 141 (33%) | 524 |
| September 2023 | 148 | 384 | 142 (37%) | 498 |
| September 2022 | 147 | 404 | 142 (35%) | 503 |
Source: Department for Education: Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, school-level data, published 18 June 2026. “–” means the figure was not published. The council’s own allocation figures are the official record: check Reading’s admissions page for cut-off distances, the admission rules and this year’s dates.
Performance over time
Attainment 8 over time
Progress 8 over time(not available 2024/25 or 2025/26)
University destinations
Share of this school's sixth-form leavers who went on to Oxford or Cambridge, a Russell Group university, or a university in the top third by entry grades. Department for Education data for state-funded schools and colleges.
| Left sixth form | Students | Oxford or Cambridge | Russell Group | Top-third universities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 2024-2025 tables | 181 | Not published | Not published | 82% England 19% |
| 2020/21 2023-2024 tables | 179 | Not published | Not published | 86% England 24% |
| 2019/20 2022-2023 tables | 166 | 13% England 1% | 83% England 18% | 90% England 20% |
| 2018/19 2021-2022 tables | 150 | 12% England 1% | 68% England 15% | 79% England 17% |
| 2017/18 2020-2021 tables | 158 | 18% England 1% | 76% England 16% | 79% England 18% |
| 2015/16 2018-2019 tables | 151 | 15% England 1% | 71% England 14% | 89% England 19% |
- The DfE stopped publishing Oxbridge and Russell Group shares for individual schools after the 2022-23 performance tables (students who left in 2019/20). Top-third figures continue.
- Figures are percentages of all students who finished 16 to 18 study at the school, counting those who sustained a university place in the two years after leaving.
- Rankings use the average across years weighted by the number of students; a school needs at least 2 years and 50 students to be ranked. The top-third ranking uses the latest 3 years. Ranks are among state-funded schools and colleges.
- '<0.5%' means above zero but under half a percent. 'Suppressed' means 5 or fewer students.
- Source: Department for Education, 16 to 18 progression to higher education or training (Compare school and college performance, Explore education statistics).
Entry, tests and fees
Entrance test
Registration for the entrance exam for 2027 entry closed at midnight on 17th May 2026.
Source · checked 27 October 2026
The online entrance test registration form for 2027 entry will be available from Friday 27th March to midnight on Sunday 17th May 2026.
Source · checked 27 October 2026
Please click on the link below to find out more about the FSCE Tests:
Source · checked 27 October 2026
Admissions
Catchment Area
Source · checked 27 October 2026
Category 5: Catchment Area
Source · checked 27 October 2026
In addition, music, sport and drama flourish. Reading School has recently been named in the Top 25 Schools for Sport in the country and Top 5 State School for S…
Source · checked 27 October 2026
Sixth form
GCSE grade 7 in Chemistry or grade 7 in both Science and Additional Science. GCSE grade 7 in Maths is also required. If Chemistry is to be studied as one of fou…
Source · checked 26 October 2026
GCSE grade 7 in Chemistry or grade 7 in both Science and Additional Science. GCSE grade 7 in Maths is also required. If Chemistry is to be studied as one of fou…
Source · checked 26 October 2026
Our annual Sixth Form Open day is scheduled for Wednesday 25th November 2026. This is for new joiners who are considering Reading School Sixth Form for entry in…
Source · checked 26 October 2026
Application Deadline – Midday 31st January 2027
Source · checked 26 October 2026
Evidence Deadline – 12th February 2027
Source · checked 26 October 2026
Admissions pageAdmission policySixth form
Copied from the school's and test organisers' own pages; check them before registering or applying.
Questions parents ask about Reading School
- How good are Reading School's GCSE results?
- In 2025/26 (provisional) pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 80.6, against 47.6 across England, ranking #21 in England. 83.4% got grade 7 or above in both English and maths.
- How good are Reading School's A-level results?
- In 2024/25 students averaged 49.0 points per A-level entry (an average grade of A), ranking #59 in England. An A* is worth 60 points and an A 50.
- How hard is it to get into Reading School?
- For September 2026, 400 families put it first for 146 Year 7 places: 2.7 first choices per place, the 4th highest around London. It is a grammar school, so children must reach the pass mark in its 11-plus test; its admission policy sets how passing children are ranked.
- How many Reading School students go to Oxford or Cambridge?
- 14.5% of its sixth-form leavers went to Oxford or Cambridge, and 74.7% to Russell Group universities (2015/16–2019/20), from Department for Education destination data.
Historical results
| Year | Pupils | Att8 | P8 | 5+ E&M | 7+ E&M | EBacc % | EBacc APS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/2026 (provisional) | 157 | 80.6 | — | 96.8% | 83.4% | — | — |
| 2024/2025 | 149 | 83.0 | — | 100.0% | — | 97.3% | 8.3 |
| 2023/2024 | 150 | 81.1 | +0.89 | 100.0% | — | 96.0% | 8.0 |
| 2022/2023 | 149 | 82.2 | +0.97 | 99.3% | — | 93.3% | 8.1 |
| 2021/2022 | 148 | 82.6 | +0.66 | — | — | 97.0% | 8.1 |
EBacc figures stop at 2024/2025: the DfE no longer publishes them from 2025/2026.
Nearby and similar schools
Other secondary schools in Reading for local comparison.
School information
| URN | 136449 |
| Local authority | Reading |
| Region | South East |
| Phase | Secondary |
| Type | Academy converter |
| Gender of entry | Boys |
| Age range | 11-18 |
| Headteacher | Headmaster Chris Evans |
| Trust | READING SCHOOL |
| Admissions | Selective |
| Religious character | None |
| Postcode | RG1 5LW |
| Pupils | 1,129 |
| FSM eligible | 4.5% |
Contact and identifiers
Erleigh Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 5LW
http://www.reading-school.co.uk/1189015600| DfE number | 5401 |
| UKPRN | 10032956 |
| Opened | 1 Feb 2011 |
| GIAS updated | 6 Feb 2026 |
Data sources and freshness
| Official record updated | 6 Feb 2026 |
| Latest KS4 year | 2025/2026 |
| Latest KS2 year | — |
| Ofsted published | 31 Jan 2024 |
Latest Ofsted inspection
| Quality of education | Outstanding |
| Behaviour and attitudes | Outstanding |
| Personal development | Outstanding |
| Leadership and management | Outstanding |
| Safeguarding | Effective |
| Inspection type | S5 Inspection |
| Category of concern | — |
| Inspection date | 21 Nov 2023 |
| Publication date | 31 Jan 2024 |