School admissions in Pontefract

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

Reception places, September 2026

34 schools. 8 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places
Grove Lea Primary SchoolPontefract	1.27	30
Ark Orchard Head Primary SchoolPontefract	1.22	45
Darrington Church of England Primary SchoolPontefract	1.20	15
Ark Carleton Park Primary SchoolPontefract	1.13	30
Featherstone All Saints CofE AcademyPontefract	1.10	30
South Elmsall Carlton Junior and Infant SchoolPontefract	1.07	60
Fitzwilliam Primary SchoolPontefract	1.03	30
Ark Northfield Primary SchoolPontefract	1.02	45
Ark De Lacy Primary SchoolPontefract	1.00	44
Ark Larks Hill Primary SchoolPontefract	1.00	29
Badsworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant SchoolPontefract	1.00	22
Outwood Primary Academy Bell LanePontefract	1.00	33
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School PontefractPontefract	1.00	21
Streethouse Junior, Infant and Nursery SchoolPontefract	1.00	11
Upton Primary SchoolPontefract	1.00	48
Featherstone Purston Infant SchoolPontefract	0.98	56
South Kirkby Common Road Infant and Nursery SchoolPontefract	0.98	48
St Giles C of E AcademyPontefract	0.98	42
Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant SchoolPontefract	0.97	29
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, MoorthorpePontefract	0.96	26
Ackworth Mill Dam SchoolPontefract	0.96	24
St Helen's CE Primary SchoolPontefract	0.96	24
Ash Grove Primary AcademyPONTEFRACT	0.96	23
Cherry Tree AcademyPontefract	0.96	23
Featherstone Girnhill Infant SchoolPontefract	0.96	23
Holy Family and St Michael's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyPontefract	0.95	21
Featherstone North Featherstone Junior and Infant SchoolPontefract	0.95	41
West End AcademyPontefract	0.95	20
Ark the Rookeries Carleton Primary SchoolPontefract	0.94	32
King's Meadow AcademyPontefract	0.91	33
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary SchoolPontefract	0.90	10
Ark Halfpenny Lane Primary SchoolPontefract	0.88	49
Moorthorpe Primary School With Inclusion ResourcePontefract	0.85	20
Kirk Smeaton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolPontefract	0.82	11

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

6 schools. 1 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places
Ark Carleton High SchoolPontefract	1.26	199
The Featherstone AcademyPontefract	0.98	98
St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary AcademyPontefract	0.97	272
Minsthorpe Community CollegePontefract	0.96	279
Ark the King's SchoolPontefract	0.91	207
Outwood Academy HemsworthPontefract	0.90	207