School admissions in Castleford
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 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.
Reception places, September 2026
13 schools. 3 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ackton Pastures Primary Academy | 1.70 | 43 | not published |
| Allerton Bywater Primary School | 1.05 | 60 | 1.359 miles |
| Smawthorne Henry Moore Academy | 1.02 | 57 | not published |
| Lady Elizabeth Hastings CofE Primary School | 1.00 | 17 | not published |
| Oyster Park Primary Academy | 1.00 | 26 | not published |
| Townville Academy | 1.00 | 20 | not published |
| Fairburn View Primary School, Castleford | 0.98 | 58 | not published |
| Airedale Infant Academy | 0.97 | 39 | not published |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Castleford | 0.96 | 25 | not published |
| Glasshoughton Infant Academy | 0.95 | 60 | not published |
| Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery | 0.91 | 33 | not published |
| Half Acres Primary Academy | 0.82 | 57 | not published |
| Castleford Three Lane Ends Academy | 0.76 | 45 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castleford Academy | 1.04 | 280 | not published |
| Brigshaw High School | 0.98 | 206 | 5.261 miles |
| Airedale Academy | 0.93 | 155 | 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.