School admissions in Lewes
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 11 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.
Lewes in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 14 schools in Lewes first 281 times for 277 places: 1.01 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the East Sussex authority's 141 schools. 3 of the 14 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Hamsey Community Primary School, to 1.30 miles.
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 3 schools in Lewes first 587 times for 552 places: 1.06 first choices per place, against 0.98 across the East Sussex authority's 25 schools. One of the 3 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Chailey School, to 3.86 miles.
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. 3 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wallands Community Primary and Nursery School | 1.27 | 30 | not published |
| Newick Church of England Primary School | 1.17 | 30 | 1543 m (≈0.96 mi) |
| Hamsey Community Primary School | 1.13 | 15 | 2091 m (≈1.30 mi) |
| Barcombe Church of England Primary School | 1.00 | 14 | 4289 m (≈2.67 mi) |
| Chiddingly Primary School | 1.00 | 14 | 5688 m (≈3.53 mi) |
| East Hoathly CofE Primary School | 1.00 | 7 | not published |
| Firle Church of England Primary School | 1.00 | 5 | not published |
| Laughton Community Primary School | 1.00 | 8 | 3719 m (≈2.31 mi) |
| Ringmer Primary and Nursery School | 1.00 | 44 | not published |
| Southover CofE Primary School | 0.97 | 33 | not published |
| Iford and Kingston Church of England Primary School | 0.95 | 22 | not published |
| South Malling CofE Primary and Nursery School | 0.94 | 17 | 5041 m (≈3.13 mi) |
| Western Road Community Primary School | 0.79 | 24 | not published |
| Chailey St Peter's Church of England Primary School | 0.79 | 14 | 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 | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chailey School | 1.26 | 174 | 6212 m (≈3.86 mi) |
| Priory School | 1.00 | 229 | not published |
| King's Academy Ringmer | 0.94 | 149 | 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.