School admissions in Ilkeston
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 2 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.
Ilkeston in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 14 schools in Ilkeston first 472 times for 484 places: 0.98 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Derbyshire authority's 290 schools. One of the 14 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Dallimore Primary & Nursery School, to 0.69 miles.
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 3 schools in Ilkeston first 414 times for 414 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 0.98 across the Derbyshire authority's 45 schools. One 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
14 schools. 1 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Field House Infant School | 1.20 | 59 | not published |
| Dallimore Primary & Nursery School | 1.00 | 45 | 0.693 miles |
| Horsley Woodhouse Primary School | 1.00 | 8 | not published |
| Mapperley CofE Controlled Primary School | 1.00 | 9 | not published |
| Morley Primary School | 1.00 | 11 | not published |
| St Thomas Catholic Voluntary Academy | 1.00 | 30 | not published |
| Charlotte Nursery and Infant School | 0.97 | 75 | not published |
| Chaucer Infant School | 0.96 | 49 | not published |
| Cotmanhay Infant and Nursery School | 0.94 | 48 | not published |
| Ladywood Primary School | 0.94 | 31 | not published |
| Scargill CofE Primary School | 0.93 | 45 | not published |
| St Andrew's CofE Primary School | 0.88 | 8 | not published |
| Larklands Infant School | 0.84 | 37 | not published |
| Richardson Endowed Primary School | 0.83 | 29 | 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
3 schools. 1 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places |
|---|---|---|
| Ormiston Ilkeston Enterprise Academy | 1.09 | 208 |
| Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy | 0.97 | 106 |
| Kirk Hallam Community Academy | 0.84 | 100 |
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.