School admissions in Poole
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 18 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.
Poole in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 19 schools in Poole first 1,246 times for 1,280 places: 0.97 first choices per place. 4 of the 19 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 4 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 1.40 miles (Heatherlands Primary School) to 2.69 miles (Lytchett Matravers Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 7 schools in Poole first 1,465 times for 1,379 places: 1.06 first choices per place. 4 of the 7 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 3 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 1.18 miles (St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole) to 5.25 miles (Lytchett Minster 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
19 schools. 4 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canford Heath Infant School | 1.12 | 120 | 1.599 miles |
| Lilliput Church of England Infant School | 1.11 | 119 | 2.275 miles |
| Lytchett Matravers Primary School | 1.08 | 60 | 2.685 miles |
| Heatherlands Primary School | 1.03 | 89 | 1.398 miles |
| Bayside Academy | 1.00 | 26 | not published |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Poole | 1.00 | 32 | not published |
| Bishop Aldhelm's Church of England Primary School | 0.98 | 63 | not published |
| Longfleet Church of England Primary School | 0.98 | 86 | 3.536 miles |
| Livingstone Road Infant School | 0.96 | 55 | not published |
| Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School | 0.95 | 85 | not published |
| Talbot Primary School | 0.94 | 70 | 2.867 miles |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Poole | 0.94 | 33 | not published |
| Old Town Infant School and Nursery | 0.94 | 32 | not published |
| Courthill Infant School | 0.92 | 109 | 1.622 miles |
| Ad Astra Infant School | 0.89 | 76 | 3.076 miles |
| Upton Infant School | 0.89 | 90 | not published |
| Manorside Academy | 0.86 | 59 | not published |
| Stanley Green Infant Academy | 0.78 | 46 | not published |
| Hillbourne Primary School | 0.77 | 30 | 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
7 schools. 4 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poole Grammar School | 1.37 | 177 | not published |
| St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole | 1.12 | 170 | 1.18 miles |
| Parkstone Grammar School | 1.11 | 192 | not published |
| Magna Academy | 1.02 | 171 | 1.971 miles |
| Lytchett Minster School | 0.98 | 257 | 5.246 miles |
| Poole High School | 0.98 | 316 | not published |
| The Cornerstone Academy | 0.84 | 96 | 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.