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. 6 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.
Castleford in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 13 schools in Castleford first 544 times for 540 places: 1.01 first choices per place. 3 of the 13 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 3 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.97 miles (Smawthorne Henry Moore Academy) to 1.39 miles (Glasshoughton Infant Academy).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 3 schools in Castleford first 636 times for 641 places: 0.99 first choices per place. One of the 3 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Castleford Academy, to 0.84 miles.
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
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 | 0.975 miles |
| 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 | 1.394 miles |
| 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 | 0.843 miles |
| 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.