School admissions in Purley
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 2 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.
Purley in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 3 schools in Purley first 138 times for 108 places: 1.28 first choices per place. 2 of the 3 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Beaumont Primary School, to 0.42 miles.
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 3 schools in Purley first 672 times for 603 places: 1.11 first choices per place. One of the 3 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Riddlesdown Collegiate, to 1.33 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
3 schools. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaumont Primary School | 2.13 | 30 | 0.42 miles |
| Margaret Roper Catholic Primary School | 1.03 | 30 | not published |
| Christ Church CofE Primary School (Purley) | 0.90 | 48 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riddlesdown Collegiate | 1.61 | 299 | 1.334 miles |
| The John Fisher School | 0.75 | 175 | not published |
| Thomas More Catholic School | 0.47 | 129 | 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.