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England · Grammar school

Marling School

Stroud · Boys only · ages 11 to 18

Official record: Get Information About Schools (URN 137123)

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Overview

Address
Cainscross Road, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 4HE
Status
Open
Admits
Boys only
Age range
11 to 18
Number of pupils
1,082
Capacity
1,150
Eligible for free school meals
4.2%
Sixth form
Yes
School type
Academy converter
Religious character
None
Trust
LIFT SCHOOLS
Local authority
Gloucestershire

Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026 · Source: Desk research (cited public sources) (parentview.ofsted.gov.uk), last checked 31 October 2026

Admissions and the 11+

Admissions policy
Selective (grammar school)
Selection in this area
Partially selective area14% of Year 7 places offered in Gloucestershire for September 2026 were at selective schools (DfE applications and offers). We class an area as fully selective at 25% or more. Confirm with the local authority's admissions guide.
Entrance test
Not yet available
Qualifying score
Not yet available
Catchment area
No catchment area. After children in care and pupil premium boys, places go to boys who meet the standard in test rank order. Equal ranks are split first by attending a Cotswold Beacon Academy Trust primary school, then by distance.
Children from outside the catchment
Yes: Where a boy lives only matters to split equal test ranks. In 2026 the last boy offered was ranked 538.

Applications and offers for Year 7

For September 2026 entry, 431 applicants named this school (164 as their first choice) for 149 places. 59 of 149 offers went to children living outside Gloucestershire.

Applications and offers by September intake
IntakePlaces offeredApplicantsFirst choiceFirst choices per placeOffers to children outside Gloucestershire
Sept 20261494311641.159
Sept 20251504101491.057
Sept 20241504761961.352
Sept 20231473831441.048
Sept 20221503801581.146
Show all 13 years
Earlier intakes
IntakePlaces offeredApplicantsFirst choiceFirst choices per placeOffers to children outside Gloucestershire
Sept 20211515922171.436
Sept 20201443501501.043
Sept 20191483611811.232
Sept 20181483632071.433
Sept 20171503401701.132
Sept 20161473762151.517
Sept 20151192881541.320
Sept 20141193021511.311

"Applicants" counts every family that listed the school as any preference, so it is higher than the number competing for each place. "Outside Gloucestershire" means a home in another local authority; it is not the school's catchment area. For grammar schools, offers also depend on the entrance test result.

Source: Secondary and primary school applications and offers (Department for Education), last checked 31 October 2026

Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026 · Source: Admissions research (cited public sources) (gloucestershire.gov.uk), last checked 1 November 2026

Key dates for September 2027 entry

Test registration (Gloucestershire grammar schools)
18 May 2026 to 26 June 2026
Test date
12 September 2026Opens and closes at noon. Results expected mid-October 2026 (no exact date found). Crypt School says a late test is held January 2027 for anyone who missed the deadline; other sources say no late registrations. Confirm with schools.
Results sent to families
Not yet available
Apply to your council (September 2027 entry)
By 31 October 2026This date has passed: late applications go to your council and are usually considered after on-time ones.
National offer day
1 March 2027Offers are sent on 1 March, or the next working day.
Open days
Not yet available
School opened (current registration)
1 August 2011

Unverified: test dates come from desk research (medium confidence). Confirm them with the council or test organiser. Sources: cryptschool.org, leadingtuition.co.uk.

Statutory dates: School Admissions Code (Department for Education).

Guide to the Gloucestershire grammar schools and its schools · How applying works

Source: Test dates research (cited public sources) (cryptschool.org), last checked 1 November 2026 · Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026

Ofsted inspection

Inspected on 19 November 2024. Read the report ↗

Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Sixth form provision
Good

From September 2024 Ofsted no longer gives an overall grade for state schools.

Inspection history (4)
  • 19 November 2024: School inspection · report
  • 12 November 2013: Full inspection, Outstanding · report
  • 14 February 2012: Academy conversion letter · report
  • 28 November 2011: Curriculum and development visit · report

Source: Ofsted inspection reports, last checked 31 October 2026

Exam results

GCSE results 2025/26 (provisional)

GCSE results compared with national averages
MeasureThis schoolSelective schools in EnglandAll state schools in England
Attainment 8Average grade across 8 GCSE-level subjects, doubled for English and maths (maximum 90).73.272.146.2
Grade 5 or above in English and maths98%93.7%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and maths61.6%57.7%14.2%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths100%98.3%64.8%
Progress 8Not published for most schools in recent years, because primary school tests were cancelled in 2020 and 2021.–––

Attainment 8 over time: 71.3 (2023/24) → 73.9 (2024/25) → 73.2 (2025/26).

151 pupils took GCSEs. Results reflect a selective intake: compare grammar schools with each other rather than with all schools.

Source: Key stage 4 performance (GCSE results) (Department for Education), last checked 31 October 2026

How to get there

Postcode
GL5 4HE
Map location
51.74541, -2.23538
Open in OpenStreetMap
Directions and surroundings ↗
Telephone
01453762251

Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026

School website
www.marling.gloucs.sch.uk
Official register record
Get Information About Schools (URN 137123) ↗
Admissions policy document
Not yet available
Further reading
Wikipedia ↗

Source: Get Information About Schools, last checked 31 October 2026