School admissions in Bootle
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 6 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.
Bootle in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 13 schools in Bootle first 422 times for 418 places: 1.01 first choices per place, against 1.01 across the Sefton authority's 72 schools. 5 of the 13 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 4 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.64 miles (Thomas Gray Primary School) to 2.00 miles (Springwell Park Community Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 3 schools in Bootle first 456 times for 443 places: 1.03 first choices per place, against 0.98 across the Sefton authority's 18 schools. One of the 3 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Hillside High School, to 0.65 miles.
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
13 schools. 5 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Robert Bellarmine Catholic Primary School | 1.87 | 30 | not published |
| Thomas Gray Primary School | 1.21 | 28 | 0.64 miles |
| The Grange Primary School | 1.10 | 30 | 1.837 miles |
| Netherton Moss Primary School | 1.07 | 30 | 1.042 miles |
| Springwell Park Community Primary School | 1.03 | 60 | 2 miles |
| All Saints Catholic Primary School | 0.94 | 31 | not published |
| Christ Church Church of England Controlled Primary School | 0.91 | 45 | not published |
| St Monica's Catholic Primary School | 0.90 | 59 | not published |
| Our Lady of Walsingham Primary School | 0.84 | 19 | not published |
| St Oswald's Church of England Primary School | 0.83 | 24 | not published |
| St Benedict's Catholic Primary School | 0.79 | 29 | not published |
| Linacre Primary School | 0.73 | 15 | not published |
| Holy Spirit Catholic Academy | 0.67 | 18 | 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.
Year 7 places, September 2026
3 schools. 1 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillside High School | 1.49 | 162 | 0.645 miles |
| King's Leadership Academy Hawthornes | 0.78 | 167 | 1.665 miles |
| The Salesian Academy of St John Bosco | 0.74 | 114 | 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.