Surrey rankings
Surrey districts with Outstanding school clusters
Some Surrey districts concentrate a notable number of Outstanding-rated state schools across both primary and secondary phases. This ranking counts the Outstanding state schools in each district and presents them as a cluster signal — useful for families who want the widest choice of highly-rated schools within a manageable radius.
A cluster in a district does not mean every school within the district is Outstanding — Surrey has a spread of Ofsted grades across phases. And district boundaries may encompass both high-performing towns and areas with fewer Outstanding schools. An Area Report on a specific postcode shows the named schools within a set radius around that exact location.
Only state schools are included. Independent schools are excluded. “Outstanding” is Ofsted grade 1, the top overall effectiveness judgement.
Get an Area Report for any Surrey postcodeThe ranking
Source: Ofsted Management Information and Get Information About Schools (GIAS), Department for Education. Open Government Licence v3.0. Sorted by total Outstanding state schools (primary + secondary) per district, highest first.
| # | District | Outstanding primaries | Outstanding secondaries | Total Outstanding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Surrey | 32 | 12 | 44 |
| 2 | Hampshire | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| 3 | Bracknell Forest | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 4 | Richmond upon Thames | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Windsor and Maidenhead | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Hounslow | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Only districts with at least one Outstanding state school (primary or secondary) are included. Ofsted grades reflect the most recently published outcome.
How we ranked this
The ranking uses a single quantitative criterion:
- Total Outstanding state schools (primary + secondary) — count of all state schools in the district whose most recent Ofsted overall effectiveness judgement is Outstanding (grade 1). Primary and secondary phases are counted separately in the table and combined for the sort order. Highest count ranks first. Independent schools are excluded. Districts with zero Outstanding schools are excluded from the table.
Why absolute count, not a rate? A density rate (Outstanding schools per 10,000 children) would favour smaller districts. An absolute count better reflects the practical choice available to a family — a district with ten Outstanding primaries gives more options than one with two, regardless of population density. Families should verify catchment boundaries and admissions policies independently.
Ofsted grades reflect the judgement at the most recent inspection. Schools are inspected on a multi-year cycle; a school's position in this table does not predict its next outcome and should not be treated as a definitive quality measure. Data source: Ofsted Management Information and GIAS, Department for Education. Both licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Want the schools near a specific Surrey postcode?
An Area Report shows every school within a set radius of your chosen Surrey postcode — with name, distance, phase, capacity and the most recent Ofsted grade — alongside crime, flood risk, air quality, broadband and the local property market.
Get an Area ReportSources
- Schools and Ofsted ratings. Get Information About Schools (GIAS) and Ofsted Management Information, Department for Education. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
This page lists district-level school clusters. It is not a substitute for checking admissions policies, catchment areas and current inspection status for any specific school. See our disclaimer.