School admissions in Lowestoft

How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 7 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.

Lowestoft in figures

For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 20 schools in Lowestoft first 621 times for 619 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Suffolk authority's 248 schools. 4 of the 20 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 4 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.49 miles (Oulton Broad Primary School) to 2.92 miles (Somerleyton Primary School).

For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 4 schools in Lowestoft first 573 times for 585 places: 0.98 first choices per place, against 0.99 across the Suffolk authority's 43 schools. One of the 4 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Benjamin Britten Academy of Music and Mathematics, to 1.46 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

20 schools. 4 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Somerleyton Primary SchoolLowestoft	1.40	10	2.921 miles 2026
Oulton Broad Primary SchoolLowestoft	1.40	43	0.493 miles 2026
Woods Loke Primary SchoolLowestoft	1.15	59	0.839 miles 2026
Grove Primary SchoolLowestoft	1.05	43	1.053 miles 2026
Kessingland Church of England Primary AcademyLowestoft	1.00	16	not published
Northfield St Nicholas Primary AcademyLowestoft	1.00	26	not published
Pakefield Primary SchoolLowestoft	1.00	29	not published
Poplars Community Primary SchoolLowestoft	1.00	23	not published
Red Oak Primary SchoolLowestoft	1.00	41	not published
St Margaret's Primary AcademyLowestoft	0.97	37	not published
Dell Primary SchoolLowestoft	0.97	34	not published
Carlton Colville Primary SchoolLowestoft	0.96	53	not published
Westwood Primary SchoolLowestoft	0.94	16	not published
Roman Hill Primary SchoolLowestoft	0.90	29	not published
Corton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolLowestoft	0.89	9	not published
Elm Tree Primary SchoolLowestoft	0.88	52	not published
The Limes Primary AcademyLowestoft	0.86	29	not published
Blundeston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolLowestoft	0.86	21	not published
St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary SchoolLowestoft	0.86	7	not published
Gunton Primary AcademyLowestoft	0.83	42	1.013 miles 2022

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. 1 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Benjamin Britten Academy of Music and MathematicsLowestoft	1.03	262	1.457 miles 2026
Pakefield High SchoolLowestoft	0.96	104	not published
East Point AcademyLowestoft	0.94	123	1.725 miles 2023
Ormiston Denes AcademyLowestoft	0.91	96	not published