Find the best primary schools in Bracknell Forest. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Bracknell Forest has 30 primary schools, all in Bracknell Forest council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 30, 9 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Bracknell Forest primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Crowthorne Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.7 / 5 |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Bracknell | Roman Catholic | 4.5 / 5 |
| Winkfield St Mary's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.3 / 5 |
| Binfield Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| Fox Hill Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| King's Academy Oakwood | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Sandhurst | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
There are 30 primary schools in Bracknell Forest. Of those, 1 is an all-through school, teaching both primary and secondary years.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 30 primary schools in Bracknell Forest, 9 have a religious character: 7 Church of England and 2 Roman Catholic. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Crowthorne Church of England Primary School (4.7), St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Bracknell (4.5), Winkfield St Mary's CofE Primary School (4.3), Binfield Church of England Primary School (4.1) and Fox Hill Primary School (4.0). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. Of the 30 schools here, 27 have enough published data for a rating.
| Mixed |
| 3.9 / 5 |
| Great Hollands Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| New Scotland Hill Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Jennett's Park CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| Uplands Primary School and Nursery | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Ascot Heath Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Warfield Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| King's Academy Binfield | all-through | 3.6 / 5 |
| Holly Spring Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary School, Bracknell | Roman Catholic | 3.6 / 5 |
| The Pines School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Whitegrove Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| College Town Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Wildmoor Heath School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Crown Wood Primary School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 |
| Wildridings Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| St Michael's Easthampstead Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | Church of England | 3.0 / 5 |
| Sandy Lane Primary School | Mixed | 2.7 / 5 |
| Birch Hill Primary School and Nursery | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
| Harmans Water Primary School | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
| King's Academy Meadow Vale | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Owlsmoor Primary School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Wooden Hill Primary and Nursery School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.