School admissions in Hertford
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 13 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.
Hertford in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 15 schools in Hertford first 446 times for 434 places: 1.03 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Hertfordshire authority's 364 schools. 4 of the 15 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 5 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.36 miles (Mill Mead Primary Academy) to 3.00 miles (Bayford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 3 schools in Hertford first 380 times for 367 places: 1.04 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
15 schools. 4 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Balle All-Through School | 1.38 | 60 | not published |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Hertford) | 1.28 | 29 | not published |
| Mill Mead Primary Academy | 1.20 | 30 | 581.29 m (≈0.36 mi) |
| Abel Smith School | 1.10 | 29 | 1179.2 m (≈0.73 mi) |
| Hertford Heath Primary and Nursery School | 1.00 | 30 | 2072.17 m (≈1.29 mi) |
| Wheatcroft Primary School | 0.97 | 32 | not published |
| Bengeo Primary School | 0.97 | 60 | 1976.24 m (≈1.23 mi) |
| Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School | 0.97 | 30 | not published |
| Watton-at-Stone Primary and Nursery School | 0.88 | 26 | 4500.16 m (≈2.80 mi) |
| Morgans Primary School & Nursery | 0.88 | 32 | not published |
| Stapleford Primary School | 0.86 | 7 | not published |
| Ponsbourne St Mary's Church of England Primary School | 0.83 | 12 | 3772.21 m (≈2.34 mi) |
| Hertford St Andrew CofE Primary School | 0.77 | 22 | not published |
| Hollybush Primary School | 0.75 | 20 | 658.43 m (≈0.41 mi) |
| Bayford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 0.73 | 15 | 4827.53 m (≈3.00 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Simon Balle All-Through School | 1.18 | 124 |
| Richard Hale School | 1.12 | 168 |
| The Sele School | 0.60 | 75 |
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.