School admissions in Brentwood
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 14 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.
Brentwood in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 17 schools in Brentwood first 801 times for 776 places: 1.03 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Essex authority's 411 schools. 10 of the 17 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 9 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.26 miles (Hutton All Saints' Church of England Primary School) to 2.50 miles (West Horndon Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 5 schools in Brentwood first 1,006 times for 1,106 places: 0.91 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Essex authority's 78 schools. One of the 5 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. 10 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
5 schools. 1 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places |
|---|---|---|
| Becket Keys Church of England Free School | 1.56 | 176 |
| St Martin's School Brentwood | 0.91 | 316 |
| Shenfield High School | 0.81 | 234 |
| Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School | 0.77 | 175 |
| Brentwood County High School | 0.59 | 205 |
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.