School admissions in Ely
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 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.
Reception places, September 2026
18 schools. 7 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Shade Primary School | 1.21 | 29 | not published |
| Ely St John's Community Primary School | 1.17 | 60 | 2.058 miles |
| Isle of Ely Primary School | 1.12 | 60 | 3.288 miles |
| Isleham Church of England Primary School | 1.10 | 30 | not published |
| Mepal and Witcham Church of England Primary School | 1.07 | 15 | 1.737 miles |
| Fordham CofE Primary School | 1.03 | 60 | 2.198 miles |
| St Andrew's CofE Primary School | 1.02 | 60 | not published |
| Little Thetford CofE Primary School | 1.00 | 8 | 1.236 miles |
| Robert Arkenstall Primary School | 1.00 | 26 | not published |
| Spring Meadow Infant School | 1.00 | 39 | not published |
| Wilburton CofE Primary School | 1.00 | 10 | 1.144 miles |
| Littleport Community Primary School | 0.97 | 60 | not published |
| Stretham Community Primary School | 0.96 | 24 | 1.458 miles |
| Millfield Primary School | 0.96 | 46 | not published |
| Downham Feoffees Primary Academy | 0.95 | 22 | not published |
| The Rackham Church of England Primary School and Pre-School | 0.95 | 38 | 1.785 miles |
| Sutton CofE VC Primary School | 0.93 | 40 | not published |
| Lantern Community Primary School | 0.90 | 58 | 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
4 schools. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soham Village College | 1.30 | 257 | 5.35 miles |
| Ely College | 1.16 | 261 | 5.274 miles |
| Witchford Village College | 0.98 | 167 | not published |
| Vista Academy Littleport | 0.62 | 115 | 10.027 miles |
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.