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← Admission distances by council Admissions data

England's tightest school catchments

After each admissions round, a council publishes how far away the last child offered a place at each oversubscribed school lived. We have gathered that figure for 3,627 schools across 88 councils, and ranked it. 603 schools admitted nobody from more than half a mile away; 113 filled from under a quarter. At the other end, 399 schools reached five miles or more. Every number below links to the school or council it came from.

113schools that filled from under a quarter of a mile
603from under half a mile
1,498from under a mile
1.28 mithe middle school's distance, nationally

The 50 tightest gates in England

The last child offered a place at each of these schools lived this close. A parent a street further away did not get in. Miles as each council measures them, a straight line for most and the walking route for a few; the round is the intake year. A figure under a tenth of a mile usually means siblings and other criteria filled the school and only one or two places were decided on distance at all.

# School Council Phase Admitted from Round
1 Pebble Brook Primary School Crewe Cheshire East Primary 0.02 mi 2025/26
2 Ayresome Primary School Middlesbrough Primary 0.04 mi 2025/26
3 Chalfont St Giles Junior School Buckinghamshire Primary 0.05 mi 2026/27
4 Naphill and Walters Ash School High Wycombe Buckinghamshire Primary 0.05 mi 2026/27
5 Acton Church of England Primary Academy Nantwich Cheshire East Primary 0.06 mi 2025/26
6 New Invention Learning Academy Willenhall Walsall Primary 0.06 mi 2025/26
7 Ashfield Junior School Bushey Hertfordshire Primary 0.07 mi varies
8 Chepping View Primary Academy High Wycombe Buckinghamshire Primary 0.07 mi 2026/27
9 The Duchy School Bradninch Exeter Devon Primary 0.07 mi 2026/27
10 Corpus Christi RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Oldham Primary 0.08 mi 2025/26
11 Bearbrook Combined School Aylesbury Buckinghamshire Primary 0.09 mi 2026/27
12 St John's Highbury Vale CofE Primary School London Islington Primary 0.09 mi 2026/27
13 The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe Buckinghamshire Secondary 0.09 mi 2026/27
14 Lindow Community Primary School Wilmslow Cheshire East Primary 0.1 mi 2025/26
15 Sacred Heart Primary School Middlesbrough Primary 0.1 mi 2025/26
16 St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Junior School Chelmsford Essex Primary 0.1 mi 2025/26
17 St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School Burgess Hill West Sussex Primary 0.11 mi 2025/26
18 St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton Wirral Primary 0.12 mi 2025/26
19 Thakeham Primary School Pulborough West Sussex Primary 0.12 mi 2025/26
20 Carlton Junior and Infant School Dewsbury Kirklees Primary 0.13 mi 2024/25
21 Cromwell Junior and Infant School Birmingham Primary 0.14 mi 2023/24
22 Dr Challoner's Grammar School Amersham Buckinghamshire Secondary 0.14 mi 2026/27
23 Our Lady and St Anne's Catholic Primary School Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne Primary 0.14 mi varies
24 Oxford Road Community School Reading Primary 0.14 mi 2025/26
25 Purford Green Primary School Harlow Essex Primary 0.14 mi 2025/26
26 St Clare's Catholic Primary School Clacton-on-Sea Essex Primary 0.14 mi 2025/26
27 St James & St John Church of England Primary School London Westminster Primary 0.14 mi 2024/25
28 Thornborough Infant School Buckingham Buckinghamshire Primary 0.14 mi 2026/27
29 Brambles Primary Academy Middlesbrough Primary 0.15 mi 2025/26
30 Noak Bridge Primary School Basildon Essex Primary 0.15 mi 2025/26
31 St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School London Islington Primary 0.15 mi 2026/27
32 Thomas Jones Primary School London Kensington and Chelsea Primary 0.15 mi 2025/26
33 Kingston Primary School Thundersley Essex Primary 0.16 mi 2025/26
34 Ridgeway Primary Academy Burntwood Staffordshire Primary 0.16 mi varies
35 The Olive School, Birmingham Birmingham Primary 0.16 mi 2023/24
36 Cambridge Road Community Primary and Nursery School Ellesmere Port Cheshire West and Chester Primary 0.17 mi 2025/26
37 Chalkwell Hall Junior School Leigh-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea Primary 0.17 mi 2025/26
38 Grace Cook Primary School Stowmarket Suffolk Primary 0.17 mi 2026/27
39 Green Ridge Primary Academy Aylesbury Buckinghamshire Primary 0.17 mi 2026/27
40 James Brindley Community Primary School Manchester Salford Primary 0.17 mi 2025/26
41 Kingsbrook View Primary Academy Broughton Buckinghamshire Primary 0.17 mi 2026/27
42 St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, Beeston Leeds Primary 0.17 mi 2024/25
43 The Cathedral Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Chelmsford Essex Primary 0.17 mi 2025/26
44 Corpus Christi RC Primary School Middlesbrough Primary 0.18 mi 2025/26
45 Greenslade Primary School London Greenwich Primary 0.18 mi 2024/25
46 Hucknall Flying High Academy Nottingham Nottinghamshire Primary 0.18 mi 2025/26
47 Meridian Primary School London Greenwich Primary 0.18 mi 2024/25
48 Our Lady's RC Primary School Wigan Wigan Primary 0.18 mi 2025/26
49 St Mary Magdalene Academy London Islington Secondary 0.18 mi 2026/27
50 Two Waters Primary School Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire Primary 0.18 mi varies

88 councils compared

The middle school's distance in each council, tightest councils first. A low figure means places went to the nearest doors; a high one means most schools had room. Click a heading to re-sort.

Council Middle distance Schools with a figure Filled from under a mile Tightest school
Southwark 0.23 mi 3 100% Crampton Primary 0.22 mi
Ealing 0.36 mi 13 92% Holy Family Catholic Primary School 0.24 mi
Tower Hamlets 0.39 mi 14 93% Kobi Nazrul Primary School 0.2 mi
Islington 0.41 mi 26 85% St John's Highbury Vale CofE Primary School 0.09 mi
Wandsworth 0.41 mi 19 89% Sheringdale Primary School 0.19 mi
Waltham Forest 0.47 mi 25 88% Greenleaf Primary School 0.24 mi
Lewisham 0.49 mi 18 89% Horniman Primary School 0.29 mi
Westminster 0.51 mi 6 100% St James & St John Church of England Primary School 0.14 mi
Haringey 0.52 mi 35 77% Belmont Infant School 0.22 mi
Knowsley 0.55 mi 16 75% Park Brow Community Primary School 0.21 mi
Oldham 0.56 mi 19 74% Corpus Christi RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy 0.08 mi
Kingston upon Thames 0.58 mi 3 100% Alexandra Primary School 0.32 mi
Croydon 0.6 mi 21 71% Rockmount Primary School 0.31 mi
Birmingham 0.68 mi 52 62% Cromwell Junior and Infant School 0.14 mi
Salford 0.68 mi 22 91% James Brindley Community Primary School 0.17 mi
Leicester 0.69 mi 22 73% Knighton Mead Primary Academy 0.24 mi
Hounslow 0.71 mi 11 82% Spring Grove Primary School 0.32 mi
Lambeth 0.71 mi 11 64% Streatham Wells Primary 0.24 mi
Leeds 0.71 mi 66 65% St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, Beeston 0.17 mi
Walsall 0.71 mi 25 76% New Invention Learning Academy 0.06 mi
Kensington and Chelsea 0.72 mi 12 67% Thomas Jones Primary School 0.15 mi
Bristol, City of 0.73 mi 46 67% Hannah More Primary School 0.28 mi
Buckinghamshire 0.73 mi 60 58% Chalfont St Giles Junior School 0.05 mi
Newham 0.75 mi 28 86% Royal Wharf Primary School 0.2 mi
Portsmouth 0.75 mi 22 73% St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School 0.24 mi
Coventry 0.76 mi 34 56% Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School 0.25 mi
Sandwell 0.77 mi 47 68% Crocketts Community Primary School 0.28 mi
Wigan 0.78 mi 36 67% Our Lady's RC Primary School Wigan 0.18 mi
Havering 0.81 mi 25 64% Nelmes Primary School 0.31 mi
Reading 0.84 mi 13 54% Oxford Road Community School 0.14 mi
Richmond upon Thames 0.84 mi 9 67% Barnes Primary School 0.25 mi
Harrow 0.86 mi 15 60% Krishna Avanti Primary School 0.32 mi
Sutton 0.87 mi 12 58% Manor Park Primary Academy 0.29 mi
Bedford 0.88 mi 12 58% Priory Primary School 0.22 mi
Tameside 0.91 mi 22 55% Godley Community Primary Academy 0.33 mi
Dudley 0.92 mi 26 58% Blowers Green Primary School 0.22 mi
Brighton and Hove 0.93 mi 10 60% Carlton Hill Primary School 0.35 mi
Wirral 0.93 mi 19 58% St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton 0.12 mi
Middlesbrough 0.95 mi 44 55% Ayresome Primary School 0.04 mi
Bury 0.99 mi 30 53% Chantlers Primary School 0.36 mi
Hillingdon 1.0 mi 21 48% Pinkwell Primary School 0.49 mi
Merton 1.0 mi 9 44% Lonesome Primary School 0.25 mi
North Somerset 1.0 mi 8 50% All Saints Church of England Primary School 0.43 mi
Peterborough 1.0 mi 17 47% Hampton Lakes Primary School 0.43 mi
Solihull 1.01 mi 30 47% Tudor Grange Primary Academy, St James 0.28 mi
Southend-on-Sea 1.01 mi 7 43% Chalkwell Hall Junior School 0.17 mi
Bromley 1.08 mi 48 48% Clare House Primary School 0.33 mi
Bolton 1.1 mi 41 46% Heathfield Primary School 0.22 mi
Somerset 1.12 mi 39 46% Stoke St Michael Primary School 0.25 mi
Bracknell Forest 1.13 mi 4 50% Great Hollands Primary School 0.27 mi
Essex 1.14 mi 188 46% St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Junior School 0.1 mi
Hackney 1.16 mi 31 45% Betty Layward Primary School 0.23 mi
Newcastle upon Tyne 1.18 mi 20 40% Our Lady and St Anne's Catholic Primary School 0.14 mi
Central Bedfordshire 1.23 mi 40 42% Gravenhurst Academy 0.24 mi
Oxfordshire 1.23 mi 70 46% St Edburg's Church of England (VA) School 0.2 mi
Hartlepool 1.25 mi 3 0% High Tunstall College of Science 1.2 mi
Calderdale 1.26 mi 12 42% Bolton Brow Primary Academy 0.35 mi
Nottinghamshire 1.28 mi 75 43% Hucknall Flying High Academy 0.18 mi
Sheffield 1.3 mi 34 41% Netherthorpe Primary School 0.22 mi
Sefton 1.34 mi 23 22% Litherland High School 0.44 mi
West Sussex 1.35 mi 87 36% St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School 0.11 mi
Wokingham 1.36 mi 23 35% Alder Grove Church of England Primary School 0.29 mi
Cambridgeshire 1.37 mi 57 40% Middlefield Primary Academy 0.22 mi
Manchester 1.38 mi 7 14% Co-op Academy Belle Vue 0.85 mi
Surrey 1.42 mi 151 38% Farncombe Church of England Infant School 0.2 mi
Milton Keynes 1.45 mi 19 26% Newton Leys Primary School 0.36 mi
Cheshire West and Chester 1.46 mi 31 29% Cambridge Road Community Primary and Nursery School 0.17 mi
Camden 1.49 mi 5 20% Acland Burghley School 0.93 mi
Hertfordshire 1.6 mi 313 35% Ashfield Junior School 0.07 mi
Devon 1.79 mi 53 28% The Duchy School Bradninch 0.07 mi
Staffordshire 1.79 mi 71 25% Ridgeway Primary Academy 0.16 mi
Stockport 1.81 mi 76 26% All Saints Church of England Primary School Marple 0.38 mi
Suffolk 1.84 mi 42 26% Grace Cook Primary School 0.17 mi
Cheshire East 1.85 mi 114 34% Pebble Brook Primary School 0.02 mi
County Durham 1.89 mi 26 23% Framwellgate Moor Primary School 0.45 mi
West Northamptonshire 1.89 mi 28 32% Monksmoor Park Church of England Primary School 0.21 mi
Greenwich 1.92 mi 49 31% Greenslade Primary School 0.18 mi
Kirklees 2.02 mi 118 25% Carlton Junior and Infant School 0.13 mi
Worcestershire 2.04 mi 55 13% Beaconside Primary and Nursery School 0.29 mi
Derby 2.12 mi 67 21% Becket Primary School 0.31 mi
Brent 2.26 mi 49 10% Harlesden Primary School 0.75 mi
Windsor and Maidenhead 2.36 mi 45 22% St Luke's CofE Primary School 0.32 mi
East Sussex 2.45 mi 34 26% Park Mead Primary School 0.26 mi
Warwickshire 2.51 mi 204 20% St Nicolas CofE Academy 0.19 mi
Dorset 2.65 mi 34 18% St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester 0.39 mi
North Yorkshire 3.37 mi 49 8% Skipton, Water Street Community Primary School 0.61 mi
Bexley 3.91 mi 5 0% Haberdashers' Crayford Academy 1.64 mi
Gloucestershire 8.52 mi 146 18% Charlton Kings Junior School 0.29 mi

The widest gates

Where places went furthest afield. Rural schools and grammar schools dominate this end: children travel a long way for a place that a distance rule barely constrains.

School Council Phase Admitted from Round
Neston High School Cheshire West and Chester Secondary 868.3 mi 2025/26
St Peter's Catholic High School and Sixth Form Centre Gloucester Gloucestershire Secondary 785.0 mi 2024/25
The Crypt School Gloucester Gloucestershire Secondary 733.0 mi 2024/25
Elsley Primary School Wembley Brent Primary 621.37 mi 2023/24
Kingsbury Green Primary School London Brent Primary 621.37 mi 2023/24
Mitchell Brook Primary School London Brent Primary 621.37 mi 2023/24
Preston Manor School Wembley Brent Secondary 621.37 mi 2023/24
The County High School, Leftwich Northwich Cheshire West and Chester Secondary 579.2 mi 2025/26
Denmark Road High School Gloucester Gloucestershire Secondary 542.0 mi 2024/25
St Peter's Church of England Primary School Harrogate North Yorkshire Primary 533.56 mi 2025/26
The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School Chester Cheshire West and Chester Secondary 522.1 mi 2025/26
Ribston Hall High School Gloucester Gloucestershire Secondary 478.0 mi 2024/25
Sir Thomas Rich's School Gloucester Gloucestershire Secondary 457.0 mi 2024/25
Katharine Lady Berkeley's School Wotton-under-Edge Gloucestershire Secondary 420.0 mi 2024/25
Stroud High School Gloucestershire Secondary 414.0 mi 2024/25
Marling School Stroud Gloucestershire Secondary 413.0 mi 2024/25
Newburn Manor Primary School Newcastle upon Tyne Primary 369.21 mi varies
Barnwell School Stevenage Hertfordshire Secondary 354.83 mi varies
The Priory School Hitchin Hertfordshire Secondary 352.41 mi varies
Millfields Community School London Hackney Primary 352.02 mi 2024/25

Where the figures come from, and what they cannot tell you

Each distance is the one the council itself published after offer day, for the last child admitted under the distance criterion: usually a PDF or spreadsheet on the council's admissions pages, sometimes a Freedom of Information release. The source for each council is named on its page. We never model a distance where none was published, and a council with no figures is simply not here.

Three cautions. Only oversubscribed schools get a figure: a school that took everyone who applied has no distance, so its absence means it had room, not that it is unpopular. Councils measure differently: most use a straight line from home to the school gate, a few use the shortest walking route, and a few round to three decimal places while others round to one. And the distance moves every year with the birth rate, the housing built nearby and the number of siblings, so last year's figure is a guide to next year's, not a guarantee. How admissions actually work explains the rest.

Journalists and researchers: the figures on this page and on every council page may be quoted with a link to the page they came from. The whole dataset is one file: admission-distances.csv, one row per school. For the underlying spreadsheet or a figure for a school not shown, email support@ukpropertyinsight.co.uk.

What a tight gate costs

The same schools, priced: the Land Registry median for the districts within each school's distance, and the tight gates you can still afford. Catchment house prices, school by school →

Checking one address

Every school page has a checker: put a postcode in and it is measured against that school's distance. The full property report does the same for every school near an address at once, alongside the house itself.