School admissions in Benfleet
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 7 of these schools also have a published admissions cutoff distance. Sorted by first preferences per place. We don't invent rankings: the order is arithmetic on a published figure, not a view about which school is better.
Benfleet in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 10 schools in Benfleet first 438 times for 436 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Essex authority's 411 schools. 3 of the 10 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 6 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.35 miles (Woodham Ley Primary School) to 1.33 miles (Kents Hill Infant Academy).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 3 schools in Benfleet first 782 times for 787 places: 0.99 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Essex authority's 78 schools. One of the 3 had more first choices than places.
Totals for the schools listed on this page. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE; last-offer distances as the council published them.
Reception places, September 2026
10 schools. 3 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westwood Academy | 2.04 | 28 | not published |
| Woodham Ley Primary School | 1.34 | 29 | 0.348 miles |
| The Robert Drake Primary School | 1.04 | 45 | 1.08 miles |
| Kents Hill Infant Academy | 0.98 | 59 | 1.33 miles |
| South Benfleet Primary School | 0.97 | 59 | 1.189 miles |
| Thundersley Primary School | 0.95 | 59 | 0.809 miles |
| Jotmans Hall Primary School | 0.93 | 30 | not published |
| Hadleigh Infant and Nursery School | 0.76 | 72 | not published |
| Holy Family Catholic Primary School | 0.76 | 25 | not published |
| Montgomerie Primary School | 0.73 | 30 | 0.923 miles |
First preferences per place is the number of families naming the school first, divided by its published admission number. Above 1.00 means more first choices than places. It is not a ranking and not a measure of quality: a popular school can be easy to get into and a quiet one hard, because places are allocated by each school's own criteria, siblings and faith and banding first, with distance often the last tie-breaker. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE.
Year 7 places, September 2026
3 schools. 1 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places |
|---|---|---|
| The King John School | 1.39 | 346 |
| Harris Academy Benfleet | 0.68 | 297 |
| The Deanes | 0.68 | 144 |
First preferences per place is the number of families naming the school first, divided by its published admission number. Above 1.00 means more first choices than places. It is not a ranking and not a measure of quality: a popular school can be easy to get into and a quiet one hard, because places are allocated by each school's own criteria, siblings and faith and banding first, with distance often the last tie-breaker. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE.