Schools are the easy part of a move to Upminster. Almost every graded school in the borough is good or better. Primaries are a short walk from most homes. The secondaries are close enough for a teenager to walk, or at least not to need a lift. The hard part is getting a place, because the schools are good.
Across Havering, Ofsted has graded 30 schools, and 29 of them are good or outstanding. Seven are outstanding, one requires improvement and none is inadequate. Another 42 settings in the borough have no published grade yet, which says nothing either way about their quality. The figures cover the whole borough, from Rainham to Harold Hill, so they describe the standard a family can expect across Havering more than any one Upminster street. With nearly every graded school good or better, parents comparing inspection reports don't have much to choose between.
Upminster Infant School and Upminster Junior School carry the town's name, and their split means a child changes schools at seven without leaving the area. Engayne Primary and Branfil Primary also serve the town, along with St Joseph's Catholic Primary. Places are allocated under the council's published admissions rules, and those rules decide who gets in, so buying a house near the infant school gate doesn't secure a place there. Families in Bulphan, on the Thurrock side of the post town, apply through Thurrock Council, and Bulphan Church of England Academy is their village primary. It's worth checking which council's rules apply to a particular house, because Upminster post town crosses two of them.
The Department for Transport's modelling, from 2019, puts the nearest primary school about 12 minutes' walk from the average home and the nearest secondary about 18 minutes. By public transport the secondary is about 14 minutes away, and the bus barely beats walking. The secondaries are Gaynes School and Hall Mead School, along with Sacred Heart of Mary Girls' School and The Coopers' Company and Coborn School. A family can have four secondary schools within reach and still not get a place at the one it wants.
Corbets Tey School and Oakfields Preparatory School complete the list. Oakfields is the private option for families who would rather pay fees than take their chances with the admissions process.
Schools are one of Upminster's real strengths. With one exception, every graded school in Havering is good or outstanding, so the main thing parents have to worry about is getting a place.