School admissions in Braintree
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.
Braintree in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 17 schools in Braintree first 734 times for 726 places: 1.01 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Essex authority's 411 schools. 6 of the 17 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 7 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.74 miles (Beckers Green Primary School) to 3.77 miles (Great Bardfield Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 3 schools in Braintree first 533 times for 561 places: 0.95 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
17 schools. 6 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stisted Church of England Primary Academy | 2.20 | 15 | 1.477 miles |
| Bocking Primary School | 1.37 | 30 | 0.745 miles |
| Beckers Green Primary School | 1.34 | 44 | 0.745 miles |
| Great Bardfield Primary School | 1.20 | 20 | 3.771 miles |
| White Court School | 1.03 | 90 | 1.835 miles |
| Notley Green Primary School | 1.02 | 60 | 1.382 miles |
| Finchingfield St John the Baptist CofE Primary Academy | 1.00 | 13 | not published |
| John Ray Infant School | 0.99 | 90 | not published |
| Rayne Primary and Nursery School | 0.96 | 28 | not published |
| St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 0.95 | 43 | not published |
| Cressing Primary School | 0.93 | 30 | 1.782 miles |
| Shalford Primary School | 0.92 | 12 | not published |
| Great Bradfords Infant and Nursery School | 0.88 | 59 | not published |
| John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery | 0.86 | 74 | not published |
| Lyons Hall School | 0.84 | 87 | not published |
| St Francis Catholic Primary School, Braintree | 0.82 | 28 | not published |
| Wethersfield CofE VC Primary School | 0.67 | 3 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Alec Hunter Academy | 1.12 | 202 |
| Notley High School and Sixth Form | 0.87 | 206 |
| Tabor Academy | 0.83 | 153 |
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.