School admissions in Bishop Auckland
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 8 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.
Bishop Auckland in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 28 schools in Bishop Auckland first 425 times for 427 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the County Durham authority's 199 schools. 5 of the 28 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 4 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.82 miles (St Helen Auckland Community Primary School) to 3.19 miles (Toft Hill Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 4 schools in Bishop Auckland first 638 times for 614 places: 1.04 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the County Durham authority's 29 schools. 2 of the 4 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 2 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 5.52 miles (King James I Academy Bishop Auckland) to 6.74 miles (Wolsingham School).
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
28 schools. 5 received more first preferences than they had places.
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
4 schools. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolsingham School | 1.27 | 143 | 6.739 miles |
| St John's Catholic School & Sixth Form College | 1.00 | 209 | not published |
| King James I Academy Bishop Auckland | 0.97 | 156 | 5.518 miles |
| Bishop Barrington Academy | 0.90 | 106 | not published |
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.