School admissions in Hove
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 3 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.
Hove in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 8 schools in Hove first 521 times for 502 places: 1.04 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Brighton and Hove authority's 41 schools. 3 of the 8 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: West Hove Infant School, to 1.05 miles.
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 4 schools in Hove first 1,040 times for 975 places: 1.07 first choices per place, against 0.99 across the Brighton and Hove authority's 10 schools. 2 of the 4 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
8 schools. 3 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottesmore St Mary's Catholic Primary School | 1.23 | 60 | not published |
| St Andrew's CofE (Aided) Primary School | 1.11 | 89 | not published |
| West Hove Infant School | 1.07 | 121 | 1689.73 m (≈1.05 mi) |
| West Blatchington Primary and Nursery School | 1.00 | 15 | 2607.32 m (≈1.62 mi) |
| Hangleton Primary School | 0.97 | 30 | not published |
| Goldstone Primary School | 0.96 | 75 | 2706.48 m (≈1.68 mi) |
| Brunswick Primary School | 0.93 | 54 | not published |
| Aldrington CofE 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinal Newman Catholic School | 1.40 | 346 |
| King's School | 1.24 | 171 |
| Blatchington Mill School | 0.78 | 323 |
| Hove Park School and Sixth Form Centre | 0.68 | 135 |
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.