School admissions in Stafford
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 36 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.
Stafford in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 45 schools in Stafford first 1,147 times for 1,149 places: 1.00 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Staffordshire authority's 296 schools. 10 of the 45 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 9 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.33 miles (Beaconfields Primary School) to 3.21 miles (St Mary and St Chad CofE First School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 6 schools in Stafford first 896 times for 913 places: 0.98 first choices per place, against 0.98 across the Staffordshire authority's 49 schools. 2 of the 6 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: The Weston Road Academy, to 2.73 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
45 schools. 10 received more first preferences than they had places.
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. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blessed William Howard Catholic School | 1.13 | 184 | not published |
| Sir Graham Balfour High School | 1.01 | 185 | 1.381 miles |
| The Weston Road Academy | 0.96 | 193 | 2.727 miles |
| Walton High School | 0.96 | 181 | 1.341 miles |
| Stafford Manor High School | 0.95 | 64 | 0.756 miles |
| King Edward VI High School | 0.78 | 106 | 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.