Find the best secondary schools in Waltham Forest. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas, GCSE results and Progress 8.
Waltham Forest has 18 secondary schools, across 2 council areas. 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 18, 3 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, and 1 selects by ability through the 11-plus, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Waltham Forest secondary 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 | Council |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eden Girls' School, Waltham Forest | Muslim, girls | 4.6 / 5 | Waltham Forest |
| Woodford County High School | girls, selective, sixth form | 4.5 / 5 | Redbridge |
| Walthamstow School for Girls | girls | 4.4 / 5 | Waltham Forest |
| Kelmscott School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 | Waltham Forest |
| Frederick Bremer School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 | Waltham Forest |
| George Mitchell School | all-through | 3.6 / 5 | Waltham Forest |
| Heathcote School & Science College |
There are 18 secondary schools in Waltham Forest. Of those, 2 are all-through schools, teaching both primary and secondary years.
Apply by 31 October in your child's Year 6, for a place starting the following September. 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 1 March, or the next working day.
Yes, 1 secondary school in Waltham Forest selects pupils by ability: Woodford County High School. Entry is by the 11-plus, usually sat in September of Year 6. You register for the test separately, normally in the summer term of Year 5, and still name the school on your council application by 31 October.
Of the 18 secondary schools in Waltham Forest, 8 have a sixth form. Students at a school that stops at 16 apply separately for sixth form, either at another school or at a college.
Of the 18 secondary schools in Waltham Forest, 3 have a religious character: 1 Christian, 1 Muslim and 1 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.
Yes, Waltham Forest has 4 girls' schools and 1 boys' school. The other 13 are mixed. Some single-sex schools take both boys and girls into the sixth form.
| sixth form |
| 3.5 / 5 |
| Waltham Forest |
| Chingford Foundation School | sixth form | 3.5 / 5 | Waltham Forest |
| Holy Family Catholic School | Roman Catholic, sixth form | 3.5 / 5 | Waltham Forest |
| Highams Park School | sixth form | 3.4 / 5 | Waltham Forest |
| Connaught School for Girls | girls | 3.3 / 5 | Waltham Forest |
| Leytonstone School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 | Waltham Forest |
| Buxton School | all-through | 3.3 / 5 | Waltham Forest |
| Willowfield School | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 | Waltham Forest |
| Norlington School and 6th Form | boys, sixth form | 3.0 / 5 | Waltham Forest |
| Walthamstow Academy | Christian, sixth form | 3.0 / 5 | Waltham Forest |
| Lammas School | Mixed | 2.3 / 5 | Waltham Forest |
| South Chingford Foundation School | sixth form | 2.1 / 5 | Waltham Forest |
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.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Eden Girls' School, Waltham Forest (4.6), Woodford County High School (4.5), Walthamstow School for Girls (4.4), Kelmscott School (3.7) and Frederick Bremer School (3.7). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and GCSE results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. All 18 schools here have a rating.
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.