Gloucestershire County Council’s best secondary schools 2025

Trying to find the right school for your child in Gloucestershire County Council? You’re in the right place.

With so many options, many parents find themselves drowning in league tables and Ofsted reports. That’s exactly why we’ve done the heavy lifting for you. Our expert team has analysed the latest 2023/2024 Department for Education data to bring you a list of the top-performing state secondary schools in Gloucestershire County Council.

We show two ranking tables, one for Progress 8 and one for GCSE 9–7 results, and also provide a complete list of all secondary schools in Gloucestershire County Council. This full list includes Progress 8 scores, GCSE 9–7 percentages, and Ofsted ratings where available. The schools in this table are ordered alphabetically rather than ranked, so you can easily see every school in one place, even if some data points are missing.

Top secondary schools in Gloucestershire County Council by Progress 8

Pate's Grammar School in Cheltenham is currently ranked #1 in Gloucestershire County Council based on its published Progress 8 score of +1.01. Progress 8 is a headline accountability measure used by the Department for Education to show how much progress pupils make between the end of primary school and their GCSEs, compared to students with similar prior attainment nationally.

RankSchool nameTypeGenderProgress 8Ofsted ratingGCSE 9-7%
1Pate's Grammar SchoolAcademy converterMixed+1.01Outstanding91.58%
2Churchdown SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.93Good24.76%
3Denmark Road High SchoolAcademy converterGirls+0.93Good76.76%
4Sir Thomas Rich's SchoolAcademy converterBoys+0.91Good75.74%
5Stroud High SchoolAcademy converterGirls+0.85Outstanding70.27%
6Balcarras SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.83-38.92%
7Five Acres High SchoolAcademy sponsor ledMixed+0.77Good24.65%
8Henley Bank High SchoolAcademy sponsor ledMixed+0.64Good19.62%
9Marling SchoolAcademy converterBoys+0.64-58.47%
10The Crypt SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.6Outstanding63.32%
11The Cotswold AcademyAcademy converterMixed+0.49-33.61%
12Cheltenham Bournside School and Sixth Form CentreAcademy converterMixed+0.44Good21.3%
13Katharine Lady Berkeley's SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.39Good33.78%
14Cirencester Deer Park SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.28Good27.29%
15Pittville SchoolFoundation schoolMixed+0.25Good16.01%
16Ribston Hall High SchoolAcademy converterGirls+0.24Good46.93%
17Severn Vale SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.23Good15.25%
18Thomas Keble SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.23Good16.3%
19Cleeve SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.22-22.83%
20Chipping Campden SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.16-22.2%
21Gloucester AcademyAcademy sponsor ledMixed+0.16-12.4%
22Holmleigh Park High SchoolAcademy sponsor ledMixed+0.12Good15.86%
23Cirencester Kingshill SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.08-16.64%
24Dene Magna SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.05-13.45%
25Farmor's SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.03Good21.57%
26The Dean AcademyAcademy sponsor ledMixed+0.02Good6.68%
27Rednock SchoolFoundation schoolMixed+0.01Good14.75%
28Winchcombe SchoolAcademy converterMixed-0.01Good16.74%
29Wyedean School and Sixth Form CentreAcademy converterMixed-0.01Good22.73%
30Tewkesbury AcademyAcademy converterMixed-0.07-12.63%
31St Peter's Catholic High School and Sixth Form CentreAcademy converterMixed-0.09Good13.86%
32Maidenhill SchoolFoundation schoolMixed-0.12Good8.1%
33Chosen Hill SchoolAcademy converterMixed-0.13-12.81%
34Sir William Romney's SchoolAcademy converterMixed-0.17Good10.5%
35All Saints' Academy, CheltenhamAcademy sponsor ledMixed-0.27Good10.6%
36SGS Berkeley Green UTCUniversity technical collegeMixed-0.27Good15.11%
37Archway SchoolCommunity schoolMixed-0.36Good6.35%
38Newent Community School and Sixth Form CentreAcademy converterMixed-0.65Good5.73%
39SGS Forest High SchoolAcademy sponsor ledMixed-0.78Requires improvement1.74%
40Barnwood Park SchoolFoundation schoolMixed-0.82-7.76%
41Alderman Knight SchoolCommunity special schoolMixed-1.03Outstanding0%
42Belmont SchoolAcademy special converterMixed-1.63Outstanding0%
43Peak AcademyAcademy special sponsor ledMixed-1.63-0%

Note: Rankings use 2023/2024 CSP data for state-funded schools and may not reflect recent changes, check school websites for the latest information.

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Top secondary schools in Gloucestershire County Council by GCSE % 9–7

Pate's Grammar School in Cheltenham is currently ranked #1 in Gloucestershire County Council based on the percentage of GCSE grades awarded at 9–7. This measure highlights how many pupils achieve the very top exam results, giving a clear picture of each school’s academic excellence.

RankSchool nameTypeGenderProgress 8Ofsted ratingGCSE 9-7%
1Pate's Grammar SchoolAcademy converterMixed+1.01Outstanding91.58%
2Cheltenham Ladies' CollegeOther independent schoolGirls--86.03%
3Denmark Road High SchoolAcademy converterGirls+0.93Good76.76%
4Sir Thomas Rich's SchoolAcademy converterBoys+0.91Good75.74%
5Stroud High SchoolAcademy converterGirls+0.85Outstanding70.27%
6The Crypt SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.6Outstanding63.32%
7Marling SchoolAcademy converterBoys+0.64-58.47%
8Ribston Hall High SchoolAcademy converterGirls+0.24Good46.93%
9Cheltenham CollegeOther independent schoolMixed--45.61%
10Dean Close SchoolOther independent schoolMixed--44.94%
11The King's School, GloucesterOther independent schoolMixed--44.08%
12St Edward's SchoolOther independent schoolMixed--41.18%
13Balcarras SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.83-38.92%
14Al-Ashraf Secondary School for GirlsOther independent schoolGirls--34.42%
15Katharine Lady Berkeley's SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.39Good33.78%
16The Cotswold AcademyAcademy converterMixed+0.49-33.61%
17Rendcomb CollegeOther independent schoolMixed--30.86%
18Cirencester Deer Park SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.28Good27.29%
19Westonbirt SchoolOther independent schoolMixed--26.98%
20Wycliffe CollegeOther independent schoolMixed--26.07%
21Churchdown SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.93Good24.76%
22Five Acres High SchoolAcademy sponsor ledMixed+0.77Good24.65%
23Cleeve SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.22-22.83%
24Wyedean School and Sixth Form CentreAcademy converterMixed-0.01Good22.73%
25Chipping Campden SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.16-22.2%
26Farmor's SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.03Good21.57%
27Cheltenham Bournside School and Sixth Form CentreAcademy converterMixed+0.44Good21.3%
28Henley Bank High SchoolAcademy sponsor ledMixed+0.64Good19.62%
29Winchcombe SchoolAcademy converterMixed-0.01Good16.74%
30Cirencester Kingshill SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.08-16.64%
31Thomas Keble SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.23Good16.3%
32Pittville SchoolFoundation schoolMixed+0.25Good16.01%
33Holmleigh Park High SchoolAcademy sponsor ledMixed+0.12Good15.86%
34Severn Vale SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.23Good15.25%
35SGS Berkeley Green UTCUniversity technical collegeMixed-0.27Good15.11%
36Rednock SchoolFoundation schoolMixed+0.01Good14.75%
37St Peter's Catholic High School and Sixth Form CentreAcademy converterMixed-0.09Good13.86%
38Dene Magna SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.05-13.45%
39Chosen Hill SchoolAcademy converterMixed-0.13-12.81%
40Tewkesbury AcademyAcademy converterMixed-0.07-12.63%
41Wotton House International School GloucestershireOther independent schoolMixed--12.5%
42Gloucester AcademyAcademy sponsor ledMixed+0.16-12.4%
43OneSchoolGlobal Bristol CampusOther independent schoolMixed--11.11%
44All Saints' Academy, CheltenhamAcademy sponsor ledMixed-0.27Good10.6%
45Sir William Romney's SchoolAcademy converterMixed-0.17Good10.5%
46Maidenhill SchoolFoundation schoolMixed-0.12Good8.1%
47Barnwood Park SchoolFoundation schoolMixed-0.82-7.76%
48The Dean AcademyAcademy sponsor ledMixed+0.02Good6.68%
49Archway SchoolCommunity schoolMixed-0.36Good6.35%
50Oneschool Global Uk - Tewkesbury CampusOther independent schoolMixed--6.33%
51Newent Community School and Sixth Form CentreAcademy converterMixed-0.65Good5.73%
52SGS Forest High SchoolAcademy sponsor ledMixed-0.78Requires improvement1.74%
53Alderman Knight SchoolCommunity special schoolMixed-1.03Outstanding0%
54Belmont SchoolAcademy special converterMixed-1.63Outstanding0%
55Aurora Severnside SchoolOther independent special schoolMixed--0%
56Belong School GloucestershireOther independent special schoolMixed--0%
57Cotswold Chine SchoolOther independent special schoolMixed--0%
58Peak AcademyAcademy special sponsor ledMixed-1.63-0%

Note: Rankings use 2023/2024 CSP data for state-funded schools and may not reflect recent changes, check school websites for the latest information.

Source

All secondary schools in Gloucestershire County Council

Below is the complete list of secondary schools in Gloucestershire County Council, including both state-funded and independent schools where data is available. This table provides an at-a-glance view of each school’s key performance metrics, including Progress 8 scores, the percentage of GCSE grades awarded at 9–7, and Ofsted ratings, where published.

School nameTypeGenderProgress 8Ofsted ratingGCSE 9-7%
Al-Ashraf Secondary School for GirlsOther independent schoolGirls--34.42%
Alderman Knight SchoolCommunity special schoolMixed-1.03Outstanding0%
All Saints' Academy, CheltenhamAcademy sponsor ledMixed-0.27Good10.6%
Archway SchoolCommunity schoolMixed-0.36Good6.35%
Aurora Severnside SchoolOther independent special schoolMixed--0%
Balcarras SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.83-38.92%
Barnwood Park SchoolAcademy converterMixed-Good-
Barnwood Park SchoolFoundation schoolMixed-0.82-7.76%
Beaudesert Park SchoolOther independent schoolMixed---
Belmont SchoolAcademy special converterMixed-1.63Outstanding0%
Belong School GloucestershireOther independent special schoolMixed--0%
Bettridge SchoolCommunity special schoolMixed-Good-
Brook AcademyFree schools specialMixed---
Brookthorpe Hall SchoolOther independent special schoolMixed---
Cheltenham Bournside School and Sixth Form CentreAcademy converterMixed+0.44Good21.3%
Cheltenham CollegeOther independent schoolMixed--45.61%
Cheltenham Ladies' CollegeOther independent schoolGirls--86.03%
Chipping Campden SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.16-22.2%
Chosen Hill SchoolAcademy converterMixed-0.13-12.81%
Churchdown SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.93Good24.76%
Cirencester Deer Park SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.28Good27.29%
Cirencester Kingshill SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.08-16.64%
Cleeve SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.22-22.83%
Cotswold Chine SchoolOther independent special schoolMixed--0%
Dean Close Preparatory SchoolOther independent schoolMixed---
Dean Close SchoolOther independent schoolMixed--44.94%
Dean Close St John'sOther independent schoolMixed---
Dene Magna SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.05-13.45%
Denmark Road High SchoolAcademy converterGirls+0.93Good76.76%
Edward Jenner SchoolOther independent schoolMixed---
Farmor's SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.03Good21.57%
Five Acres High SchoolAcademy sponsor ledMixed+0.77Good24.65%
Gloucester AcademyAcademy sponsor ledMixed+0.16-12.4%
Hartmore SchoolOther independent special schoolMixed---
Hatherop Castle SchoolOther independent schoolMixed---
Heart of the Forest Community Special SchoolCommunity special schoolMixed---
Henley Bank High SchoolAcademy sponsor ledMixed+0.64Good19.62%
Holmleigh Park High SchoolAcademy sponsor ledMixed+0.12Good15.86%
Katharine Lady Berkeley's SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.39Good33.78%
Maidenhill SchoolFoundation schoolMixed-0.12Good8.1%
Marling SchoolAcademy converterBoys+0.64-58.47%
Newent Community School and Sixth Form CentreAcademy converterMixed-0.65Good5.73%
Norton College TewkesburyOther independent special schoolMixed---
OneSchoolGlobal Bristol CampusOther independent schoolMixed--11.11%
Oneschool Global Uk - Tewkesbury CampusOther independent schoolMixed--6.33%
Pate's Grammar SchoolAcademy converterMixed+1.01Outstanding91.58%
Paternoster SchoolAcademy special sponsor ledMixed-Good-
Peak AcademyAcademy special sponsor ledMixed-1.63-0%
Pittville SchoolFoundation schoolMixed+0.25Good16.01%
Rednock SchoolFoundation schoolMixed+0.01Good14.75%
Rendcomb CollegeOther independent schoolMixed--30.86%
Ribston Hall High SchoolAcademy converterGirls+0.24Good46.93%
SGS Berkeley Green UTCUniversity technical collegeMixed-0.27Good15.11%
SGS Forest High SchoolAcademy sponsor ledMixed-0.78Requires improvement1.74%
Severn Vale SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.23Good15.25%
Sir Thomas Rich's SchoolAcademy converterBoys+0.91Good75.74%
Sir William Romney's SchoolAcademy converterMixed-0.17Good10.5%
St Edward's SchoolOther independent schoolMixed--41.18%
St Peter's Catholic High School and Sixth Form CentreAcademy converterMixed-0.09Good13.86%
St Rose's Special SchoolNon-maintained special schoolMixed---
Stroud High SchoolAcademy converterGirls+0.85Outstanding70.27%
Tewkesbury AcademyAcademy converterMixed-0.07-12.63%
The Acorn SchoolOther independent schoolMixed---
The Cotswold AcademyAcademy converterMixed+0.49-33.61%
The Crypt SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.6Outstanding63.32%
The Dean AcademyAcademy sponsor ledMixed+0.02Good6.68%
The High School LeckhamptonFree schoolsMixed-Outstanding-
The King's School, GloucesterOther independent schoolMixed--44.08%
The Milestone SchoolAcademy special converterMixed---
The Shrubberies SchoolCommunity special schoolMixed-Good-
Thomas Keble SchoolAcademy converterMixed+0.23Good16.3%
Valley Bridge SchoolOther independent special schoolMixed---
Westonbirt SchoolOther independent schoolMixed--26.98%
William Morris SchoolOther independent special schoolMixed---
Winchcombe SchoolAcademy converterMixed-0.01Good16.74%
Wotton House International School GloucestershireOther independent schoolMixed--12.5%
Wycliffe CollegeOther independent schoolMixed--26.07%
Wyedean School and Sixth Form CentreAcademy converterMixed-0.01Good22.73%
Wyelands Creek Outdoor Learning CentreOther independent special schoolMixed---

Source

Disclaimer

All data on this page is sourced from the Department for Education’s 2023/2024 Compare School Performance dataset. It includes state-funded and, where available, independent secondary schools. Some schools may be missing data for Progress 8 scores, GCSE 9–7 results, or Ofsted ratings due to unpublished or unavailable figures. Rankings are based only on schools with published data and may not reflect recent changes. Please check school websites for the latest information.

How we ranked the best schools in Gloucestershire County Council?

Why trust our rankings? Our analysis is based on the latest 2023/2024 data from the Department for Education’s Compare School Performance (CSP) database, which publishes official performance data for all secondary schools in England, including both state-funded and independent schools where available.

We’ve created separate tables to highlight top performers in three key areas:

  • Progress 8 (pupil progress from KS2 to GCSE)
  • GCSE 9–7 grades (academic excellence)
  • Overall school listings, with available Ofsted ratings

Schools are primarily ranked by their Progress 8 score. This clever metric doesn’t just reward schools with high-attaining intakes – it highlights the ones that genuinely support student growth by measuring progress from the end of primary school to GCSEs. It adjusts for prior attainment, making it one of the fairest ways to compare schools.

Where available, we also show the percentage of GCSE grades at 9–7 to reflect high academic achievement, and Ofsted ratings for added context. All figures come directly from CSP’s official dataset.

Where Progress 8 data is not available for any schools in Gloucestershire County Council, the corresponding table will not be shown. This simply means that no schools in this area had published Progress 8 scores at the time of the latest dataset, it does not reflect on the quality of the schools themselves.

How to support your child at home

Helping your child succeed at school doesn’t just happen in the classroom, the right support at home can make a big difference. Encourage a regular study routine, provide a quiet space for learning, and take an interest in what they’re covering in lessons. Even small actions, like checking in on homework or discussing what they learned that day, can build motivation and accountability.

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FAQs - best secondary schools in Gloucestershire County Council

Based on the latest Department for Education CSP data, the highest-rated secondary school in Gloucestershire County Council is Pate's Grammar School by Progress 8 and GCSE 9–7 results. In the case of an exact tie across these measures, the first school in alphabetical order is shown here. For full details and to compare all schools, please refer to the performance tables above.
No. This guide covers state-funded secondary schools only, including grammar, comprehensive, academy, and free schools. Independent/private schools are not included in our rankings.
Applications are usually managed by Gloucestershire County Council local authority. You can find deadlines, admissions policies, and catchment area maps on the council’s official website.
Use Ofsted inspection reports, the Department for Education’s CSP performance tables, and our rankings to compare schools side by side. Visit schools during open days for first-hand impressions.
A Progress 8 score above 0 means students make better progress than the national average. Scores above +0.5 indicate well above average progress, while top-performing secondary schools typically achieve +0.7 or higher. The best schools in Gloucestershire County Council consistently score above +0.8.

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