School admissions in Chatham
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 9 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.
Chatham in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 18 schools in Chatham first 714 times for 719 places: 0.99 first choices per place. 3 of the 18 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Tunbury Primary School, to 1.89 miles.
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 6 schools in Chatham first 910 times for 940 places: 0.97 first choices per place. 2 of the 6 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
18 schools. 3 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walderslade Primary School | 1.17 | 29 | not published |
| Greenvale Primary School | 1.07 | 30 | not published |
| Tunbury Primary School | 1.05 | 60 | 1.89 miles |
| All Saints Church of England Primary School | 1.00 | 22 | not published |
| Kingfisher Community Primary School | 1.00 | 28 | not published |
| Phoenix Primary School | 1.00 | 29 | not published |
| St Benedict's Catholic Primary School | 1.00 | 28 | not published |
| Wayfield Primary School | 1.00 | 30 | not published |
| Oaklands School | 0.98 | 60 | not published |
| New Horizons Children's Academy | 0.98 | 54 | not published |
| Maundene School | 0.98 | 52 | not published |
| St Michael Catholic Primary and Nursery School | 0.98 | 47 | not published |
| New Road Primary School | 0.98 | 43 | not published |
| Lordswood School | 0.98 | 41 | not published |
| St Mary's Island Church of England (Aided) Primary School | 0.97 | 70 | not published |
| Luton Primary School | 0.95 | 44 | not published |
| St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School | 0.93 | 44 | not published |
| St John's Church of England Infant School | 0.75 | 8 | 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
6 schools. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Pitt Grammar School | 1.60 | 149 |
| Chatham Grammar | 1.23 | 150 |
| The Victory Academy | 0.86 | 222 |
| Holcombe Grammar School | 0.77 | 179 |
| Greenacre School | 0.67 | 128 |
| Walderslade School | 0.65 | 112 |
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.