School admissions in Bournemouth
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 25 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.
Bournemouth in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 28 schools in Bournemouth first 1,495 times for 1,494 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole authority's 56 schools. 8 of the 28 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 7 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.46 miles (Pokesdown Community Primary School) to 1.99 miles (Muscliff Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 11 schools in Bournemouth first 1,933 times for 1,868 places: 1.03 first choices per place, against 1.04 across the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole authority's 20 schools. 6 of the 11 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 7 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 1.00 miles (The Bourne Academy) to 3.65 miles (Avonbourne Girls Academy).
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. 8 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
11 schools. 6 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bournemouth School | 1.33 | 179 | not published |
| Bournemouth School for Girls | 1.33 | 180 | not published |
| Glenmoor Academy | 1.22 | 190 | 1.1 miles |
| Livingstone Academy Bournemouth | 1.21 | 136 | 1.023 miles |
| Winton Academy | 1.18 | 184 | 1.027 miles |
| The Bourne Academy | 1.06 | 171 | 1.003 miles |
| St Peter's Catholic Comprehensive School | 0.98 | 184 | 2.801 miles |
| Avonbourne Boys' Academy | 0.86 | 169 | 1.663 miles |
| Avonbourne Girls Academy | 0.84 | 204 | 3.652 miles |
| Oak Academy | 0.67 | 122 | not published |
| The Bishop of Winchester Academy | 0.55 | 149 | 1.065 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.