School admissions in Northolt
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 9 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.
Northolt in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 8 schools in Northolt first 384 times for 381 places: 1.01 first choices per place. 2 of the 8 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 2 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.28 miles (Petts Hill Primary School) to 0.75 miles (Gifford Primary School).
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. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petts Hill Primary School | 1.77 | 30 | 0.281 miles |
| Gifford Primary School | 1.07 | 120 | 0.746 miles |
| Downe Manor Primary School | 1.00 | 21 | not published |
| Alec Reed Academy | 0.94 | 36 | not published |
| Viking Primary School | 0.92 | 13 | not published |
| Greenwood Primary School | 0.86 | 65 | not published |
| Wood End Primary School | 0.86 | 43 | 1.375 miles |
| Willow Tree Primary School | 0.79 | 53 | 0.852 miles |
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.