School admissions in Chesterfield
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 23 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.
Chesterfield in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 54 schools in Chesterfield first 1,664 times for 1,647 places: 1.01 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Derbyshire authority's 290 schools. 13 of the 54 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 17 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.13 miles (St Joseph's Catholic and CofE (VA) Primary School) to 3.01 miles (Pilsley Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 11 schools in Chesterfield first 1,834 times for 1,827 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 0.98 across the Derbyshire authority's 45 schools. 3 of the 11 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Brookfield Community School, to 1.65 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
54 schools. 13 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
11 schools. 3 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Catholic High School, A Catholic Voluntary Academy | 1.31 | 203 | not published |
| The Bolsover School | 1.20 | 174 | not published |
| Brookfield Community School | 1.06 | 173 | 1.65 miles |
| Whittington Green School | 0.98 | 125 | not published |
| Springwell Community College | 0.97 | 164 | not published |
| Tupton Hall School | 0.94 | 279 | not published |
| Parkside Community School | 0.94 | 83 | not published |
| Outwood Academy Hasland Hall | 0.92 | 165 | not published |
| Netherthorpe School | 0.91 | 148 | not published |
| Outwood Academy Newbold | 0.87 | 150 | not published |
| Heritage High School | 0.85 | 163 | 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.