School admissions in Sunderland
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 29 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.
Sunderland in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 45 schools in Sunderland first 1,804 times for 1,792 places: 1.01 first choices per place. 10 of the 45 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 8 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.25 miles (Benedict Biscop Church of England Academy) to 1.82 miles (St Leonard's Catholic Primary School, Silksworth).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 13 schools in Sunderland first 1,949 times for 1,935 places: 1.01 first choices per place. 3 of the 13 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 4 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.82 miles (Christ's College) to 4.94 miles (St Aidan's Catholic Academy).
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
13 schools. 3 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christ's College | 1.29 | 89 | 0.816 miles |
| St Anthony's Girls' Catholic Academy | 1.21 | 208 | 0.907 miles |
| Whitburn Church of England Academy | 1.20 | 201 | not published |
| Southmoor Academy | 1.00 | 238 | 3.481 miles |
| St Aidan's Catholic Academy | 0.98 | 179 | 4.94 miles |
| Farringdon Community Academy | 0.98 | 207 | not published |
| Castle View Enterprise Academy | 0.97 | 196 | 2.915 miles |
| Red House Academy | 0.97 | 62 | not published |
| Sandhill View Academy | 0.91 | 146 | 2.259 miles |
| Monkwearmouth Academy | 0.90 | 146 | not published |
| Academy 360 | 0.90 | 116 | 2.766 miles |
| Venerable Bede Church of England Academy | 0.89 | 64 | 2.077 miles |
| Thornhill Academy | 0.61 | 83 | 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.