School admissions in Cowes
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 1 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.
Cowes in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 3 schools in Cowes first 123 times for 120 places: 1.02 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Isle of Wight authority's 37 schools. One of the 3 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Gurnard Primary School, to 1.08 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
3 schools. 1 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gurnard Primary School | 1.10 | 60 | 1.081 miles |
| Lanesend Primary School | 1.00 | 30 | not published |
| Northwood Primary School | 0.90 | 30 | 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.