School admissions in Christchurch
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 8 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.
Christchurch in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 10 schools in Christchurch first 344 times for 344 places: 1.00 first choices per place. 2 of the 10 had more first choices than places. For 2025 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch, to 0.34 miles.
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 3 schools in Christchurch first 521 times for 536 places: 0.97 first choices per place. 0 of the 3 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
10 schools. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twynham Primary School | 1.39 | 28 | not published |
| Highcliffe St Mark Primary School | 1.17 | 58 | not published |
| Burton Church of England Primary School | 1.00 | 31 | not published |
| Somerford Primary School | 1.00 | 12 | not published |
| Sopley Primary School | 1.00 | 12 | 2.35 miles |
| Mudeford Community Infants' School | 0.97 | 60 | 0.771 miles |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch | 0.95 | 22 | 0.343 miles |
| Bransgore Church of England Primary School | 0.91 | 32 | not published |
| Christchurch Infant School | 0.86 | 74 | not published |
| The Priory Church of England Primary School | 0.67 | 15 | 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. 0 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places |
|---|---|---|
| Highcliffe School | 1.00 | 256 |
| The Grange School | 0.99 | 74 |
| Twynham School | 0.93 | 206 |
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.