Salisbury’s best secondary schools 2025
Trying to find the right school for your child in Salisbury? 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 Salisbury.
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 Salisbury. 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 Salisbury by Progress 8
South Wilts Grammar School is currently ranked #1 in Salisbury based on its published Progress 8 score of +0.25. 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.
Rank | School name | Type | Gender | Progress 8 | Ofsted rating | GCSE 9-7% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | South Wilts Grammar School | Academy converter | Girls | +0.25 | Good | 71.2% |
2 | St Joseph's Catholic School | Voluntary aided school | Mixed | -0.08 | Requires improvement | 8.86% |
3 | Exeter House Special School | Academy special converter | Mixed | -0.21 | Good | - |
4 | Oneschool Global Uk Salisbury Campus | Other independent school | Mixed | -0.28 | - | 23.5% |
5 | Bishop Wordsworth's Church of England Grammar School | Academy converter | Boys | -0.49 | Outstanding | 64.19% |
6 | The Spires | Other independent special school | Mixed | -0.65 | - | 0% |
7 | Appleford School | Other independent special school | Mixed | -1.19 | - | 7.89% |
8 | SAIL (Salisbury Academy for Inspirational Learning) | Free schools special | Mixed | -1.83 | - | 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 Salisbury by GCSE % 9–7
South Wilts Grammar School is currently ranked #1 in Salisbury 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.
Rank | School name | Type | Gender | Progress 8 | Ofsted rating | GCSE 9-7% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | South Wilts Grammar School | Academy converter | Girls | +0.25 | Good | 71.2% |
2 | Bishop Wordsworth's Church of England Grammar School | Academy converter | Boys | -0.49 | Outstanding | 64.19% |
3 | Godolphin School | Other independent school | Girls | - | - | 49.6% |
4 | Leehurst Swan School | Other independent school | Mixed | - | - | 39.25% |
5 | Oneschool Global Uk Salisbury Campus | Other independent school | Mixed | -0.28 | - | 23.5% |
6 | The Trafalgar School at Downton | Academy converter | Mixed | - | Good | 16.53% |
7 | Wyvern St Edmund's | Academy converter | Mixed | - | - | 12.06% |
8 | Avon Valley Academy | Academy converter | Mixed | - | Requires improvement | 9.56% |
9 | St Joseph's Catholic School | Voluntary aided school | Mixed | -0.08 | Requires improvement | 8.86% |
10 | Appleford School | Other independent special school | Mixed | -1.19 | - | 7.89% |
11 | Sarum Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | - | Good | 3.82% |
12 | Brunel College | Other independent school | Mixed | - | - | 0% |
13 | SAIL (Salisbury Academy for Inspirational Learning) | Free schools special | Mixed | -1.83 | - | 0% |
14 | The Spires | Other independent special school | Mixed | -0.65 | - | 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.
All secondary schools in Salisbury
Below is the complete list of secondary schools in Salisbury, 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 name | Type | Gender | Progress 8 | Ofsted rating | GCSE 9-7% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Appleford School | Other independent special school | Mixed | -1.19 | - | 7.89% |
Avon Valley Academy | Academy converter | Mixed | - | Requires improvement | 9.56% |
Bishop Wordsworth's Church of England Grammar School | Academy converter | Boys | -0.49 | Outstanding | 64.19% |
Brunel College | Other independent school | Mixed | - | - | 0% |
Chafyn Grove School | Other independent school | Mixed | - | - | - |
Exeter House Special School | Academy special converter | Mixed | -0.21 | Good | - |
Fountain House Education Suite | Other independent special school | Mixed | - | - | - |
Godolphin School | Other independent school | Girls | - | - | 49.6% |
Leehurst Swan School | Other independent school | Mixed | - | - | 39.25% |
Oneschool Global Uk Salisbury Campus | Other independent school | Mixed | -0.28 | - | 23.5% |
SAIL (Salisbury Academy for Inspirational Learning) | Free schools special | Mixed | -1.83 | - | 0% |
Salisbury Cathedral School | Other independent school | Mixed | - | - | - |
Sandroyd School | Other independent school | Mixed | - | - | - |
Sarum Academy | Academy sponsor led | Mixed | - | Good | 3.82% |
South Wilts Grammar School | Academy converter | Girls | +0.25 | Good | 71.2% |
St Joseph's Catholic School | Voluntary aided school | Mixed | -0.08 | Requires improvement | 8.86% |
The Spires | Other independent special school | Mixed | -0.65 | - | 0% |
The Trafalgar School at Downton | Academy converter | Mixed | - | Good | 16.53% |
Wyvern St Edmund's | Academy converter | Mixed | - | - | 12.06% |
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 Salisbury?
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 Salisbury, 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.
If you’re looking for extra structure, our GCSE Revision Resources are designed to make studying easier. With expert-written notes, topic-by-topic exam questions, and mark schemes, your child can practise exactly what they need to know, when they need to know it.
Boosting confidence before exams
Confidence can make a huge difference to exam performance. Start by helping your child identify their strengths and weaknesses, then focus revision time on areas that need improvement. Practising under timed conditions can reduce exam-day nerves, while celebrating small wins along the way builds self-belief.
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