School admissions in Hatfield
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.
Hatfield in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 11 schools in Hatfield first 409 times for 414 places: 0.99 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Hertfordshire authority's 364 schools. 3 of the 11 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 2 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.35 miles (Birchwood Avenue Primary School) to 1.48 miles (Green Lanes Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 3 schools in Hatfield first 504 times for 515 places: 0.98 first choices per place, against 1.03 across the Hertfordshire authority's 78 schools. 2 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
11 schools. 3 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Countess Anne Church of England School | 2.10 | 30 | not published |
| Birchwood Avenue Primary School | 1.30 | 27 | 569.4 m (≈0.35 mi) |
| Brookmans Park Primary School | 1.02 | 45 | not published |
| St Philip Howard Catholic Primary School | 0.94 | 47 | not published |
| Green Lanes Primary School | 0.92 | 60 | 2386.98 m (≈1.48 mi) |
| De Havilland Primary School | 0.91 | 45 | 1250.4 m (≈0.78 mi) |
| St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School, Welham Green | 0.90 | 10 | not published |
| Oak View Primary and Nursery School | 0.88 | 32 | not published |
| Hatfield Community Free School | 0.80 | 46 | 1165.8 m (≈0.72 mi) |
| Howe Dell Primary School | 0.74 | 42 | 1807.71 m (≈1.12 mi) |
| The Ryde School | 0.67 | 30 | 1688.13 m (≈1.05 mi) |
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. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places |
|---|---|---|
| Bishop's Hatfield Girls' School | 1.37 | 150 |
| Chancellor's School | 1.08 | 206 |
| Onslow St Audrey's School | 0.48 | 159 |
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.