Schools in Rayleigh
Rayleigh has 10 schools — 8 primaries and 2 secondaries — with 8 operating as academies. Three schools are currently at or above their published capacity, reflecting strong demand in this commuter town. The two secondary schools, both academies, draw pupils from a wide catchment across the Rochford and Castle Point districts.
Essex County Council co-ordinates the round-one admissions process for Rayleigh schools. Two schools have a religious character with faith criteria applying in oversubscription. Parents should apply to multiple schools in priority order, as the last distance offered at oversubscribed primaries can be under a kilometre in high-demand years.
School demand in Rayleigh
Across the 10 schools in Rayleigh with published capacity data, the average fill rate is 95%. 3 of them are currently at or above their published admission number, and at those schools catchment distance is likely to decide places at the next intake.
2 schools in Rayleigh have a religious character, so faith criteria sit alongside catchment distance in their admissions policies.
8 of the schools in Rayleigh are academies that set their own admissions criteria independently of Essex, so check each school's policy directly rather than assuming the council default applies.
2 of the schools in Rayleigh have a current Ofsted rating, of which 2 are rated Good or Outstanding. Demand and catchment distance tend to be tightest at the highest-rated schools.
Primary schools in Rayleigh: 3 oversubscribed (8)
Down Hall Primary School
Primary · Community school
Rayleigh · SS6 9LW
Edward Francis Primary School
Primary · Community school
Rayleigh · SS6 8AJ
Rayleigh Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Rayleigh · SS6 7DD
Grove Wood Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Rayleigh · SS6 8UA
Glebe Primary School
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Rayleigh · SS6 9HG
Wyburns Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Rayleigh · SS6 7PE
Our Lady of Ransom Catholic Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Rayleigh · SS6 9EH
St Nicholas Church of England Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
RAYLEIGH · SS6 9NE
Secondary Schools in Rayleigh (2)
Catchment area boundaries for schools in Rayleigh are set by Essex and updated each year. The "last distance offered", how far the furthest successful applicant lived, changes annually based on the number of applications received.