School admissions in Eastbourne
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 10 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.
Eastbourne in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 17 schools in Eastbourne first 814 times for 816 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the East Sussex authority's 141 schools. 2 of the 17 had more first choices than places. For 2025 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Willingdon Primary School, to 0.95 miles.
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 7 schools in Eastbourne first 1,178 times for 1,162 places: 1.01 first choices per place, against 0.98 across the East Sussex authority's 25 schools. 4 of the 7 had more first choices than places. For 2023 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Willingdon Community School, to 1.27 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
17 schools. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Cavendish School | 1.62 | 60 | not published |
| Motcombe Infants' School | 1.03 | 60 | not published |
| Oakwood Primary Academy | 1.00 | 32 | not published |
| Shinewater Primary School | 1.00 | 34 | not published |
| The Haven Church of England Methodist Primary School | 1.00 | 44 | not published |
| Parkland Infant School | 0.98 | 53 | not published |
| St Andrew's Church of England Infants School | 0.98 | 51 | not published |
| Langney Primary Academy | 0.98 | 48 | not published |
| West Rise Primary School and Nursery | 0.96 | 67 | not published |
| Roselands Infants' School | 0.95 | 78 | not published |
| St Thomas A Becket Catholic Primary School | 0.94 | 48 | not published |
| Willingdon Primary School | 0.94 | 47 | 1523 m (≈0.95 mi) |
| Bourne Primary School | 0.89 | 37 | not published |
| St John's Meads Church of England Primary School | 0.89 | 9 | not published |
| Gildredge House | 0.88 | 58 | not published |
| Heron Park Primary Academy | 0.86 | 21 | not published |
| Pashley Down Infant School | 0.86 | 69 | 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
7 schools. 4 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Cavendish School | 1.54 | 118 | not published |
| St Catherine's College | 1.40 | 211 | not published |
| Willingdon Community School | 1.20 | 206 | 2037 m (≈1.27 mi) |
| Gildredge House | 1.03 | 90 | not published |
| Ratton School | 0.92 | 237 | not published |
| The Turing School | 0.48 | 168 | not published |
| The Eastbourne Academy | 0.46 | 132 | 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.