School admissions in Burnley

How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 19 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.

Burnley in figures

For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 33 schools in Burnley first 1,098 times for 1,114 places: 0.99 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Lancashire authority's 472 schools. 8 of the 33 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 6 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.20 miles (Barden Primary School) to 1.10 miles (Casterton Primary Academy).

For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 5 schools in Burnley first 1,014 times for 1,045 places: 0.97 first choices per place, against 1.01 across the Lancashire authority's 80 schools. 2 of the 5 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 3 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 1.70 miles (Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy) to 2.30 miles (Burnley High 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

33 schools. 8 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Barden Primary SchoolBurnley	1.65	57	0.2 miles 2026
Wellfield Methodist and Anglican Church SchoolBurnley	1.60	30	not published
Worsthorne Primary SchoolBurnley	1.41	29	0.8 miles 2026
Christ The King Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyBurnley	1.41	27	not published
Hapton Church of England/Methodist Primary SchoolBurnley	1.11	18	not published
Burnley Stoneyholme Community Primary SchoolBurnley	1.08	60	0.3 miles 2026
St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Primary School, PadihamBurnley	1.07	29	not published
Rosewood Primary SchoolBurnley	1.02	59	0.9 miles 2026
Briercliffe Primary SchoolBurnley	1.00	32	not published
Newchurch-In-Pendle St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolBurnley	1.00	8	not published
Read St John's CofE Primary SchoolBurnley	1.00	29	not published
Simonstone St Peter's Church of England Primary SchoolBurnley	1.00	20	not published
St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyBurnley	0.97	30	not published
St Augustine of Canterbury RC Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyBurnley	0.97	29	not published
St Mary's RC Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyBurnley	0.95	22	not published
Padiham Primary SchoolBurnley	0.92	38	not published
Burnley Brunshaw Primary SchoolBurnley	0.91	45	not published
Burnley St Stephen's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolBurnley	0.90	30	not published
St James' Lanehead Church of England Primary SchoolBurnley	0.90	40	not published
St John's CofE Primary School, ClivigerBurnley	0.90	30	not published
Rosegrove Infant SchoolBurnley	0.89	35	not published
Higham St John's Church of England Primary SchoolBurnley	0.88	16	not published
Casterton Primary AcademyBurnley	0.87	39	1.1 miles 2026
Cherry Fold Community Primary SchoolBurnley	0.86	22	not published
Heasandford Primary SchoolBurnley	0.86	87	0.5 miles 2026
Burnley Ightenhill Primary SchoolBurnley	0.83	41	not published
Burnley Springfield Community Primary SchoolBurnley	0.83	23	not published
Burnley Holy Trinity Church of England Primary SchoolBurnley	0.82	28	not published
St John the Baptist RC Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyBurnley	0.79	29	not published
Wheatley Lane Methodist Primary SchoolBurnley	0.76	29	not published
Whittlefield Primary SchoolBurnley	0.75	24	not published
Reedley Primary SchoolBurnley	0.72	53	not published
Burnley St Peter's Church of England Primary SchoolBurnley	0.69	26	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

5 schools. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Shuttleworth CollegeBurnley	1.13	192	2.1 miles 2026
Burnley High SchoolBurnley	1.06	119	2.3 miles 2026
Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College, A Voluntary AcademyBurnley	1.00	248	1.7 miles 2026
Sir John Thursby Community CollegeBurnley	0.89	223	not published
Unity CollegeBurnley	0.85	263	not published