School admissions in Widnes

How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 17 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.

Widnes in figures

For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 19 schools in Widnes first 539 times for 543 places: 0.99 first choices per place. One of the 19 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Lunts Heath Primary School, to 0.78 miles.

For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 3 schools in Widnes first 792 times for 784 places: 1.01 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: Wade Deacon High School, 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

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

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Lunts Heath Primary SchoolWidnes	1.14	59	1258.68 m (≈0.78 mi) 2026
All Saints Upton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolWidnes	1.00	18	2538.2 m (≈1.58 mi) 2021
Ditton Primary SchoolWidnes	1.00	27	not published
Halebank CofE Primary SchoolWidnes	1.00	9	481.55 m (≈0.30 mi) 2021
Holy Family Catholic Primary School & NurseryWidnes	1.00	27	not published
Kingsway Primary Academy SchoolWidnes	1.00	20	not published
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Catholic Primary SchoolWidnes	1.00	19	1284.37 m (≈0.80 mi) 2022
St Basil's Catholic Primary SchoolWidnes	1.00	13	not published
St Gerard's Catholic Primary and Nursery SchoolWidnes	1.00	31	207.17 m (≈0.13 mi) 2022
St John Fisher Catholic Primary SchoolWidnes	1.00	17	930.63 m (≈0.58 mi) 2024
St Michael with St Thomas CE Primary SchoolWidnes	1.00	14	not published
St Michaels Catholic Primary & Nursery SchoolWidnes	1.00	30	not published
Widnes AcademyWidnes	1.00	11	not published
St Bede's Catholic Infant SchoolWidnes	0.98	59	1669.6 m (≈1.04 mi) 2025
Fairfield Primary SchoolWidnes	0.98	48	not published
Oakfield Community Primary SchoolWidnes	0.97	30	not published
Farnworth Church of England Controlled Primary SchoolWidnes	0.95	56	1883.78 m (≈1.17 mi) 2024
Cronton Church of England Primary AcademyWidnes	0.89	28	not published
Moorfield Primary SchoolWidnes	0.89	27	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
Wade Deacon High SchoolWidnes	1.15	343	2145.93 m (≈1.33 mi) 2026
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High SchoolWidnes	0.91	271	7271.79 m (≈4.52 mi) 2024
Ormiston Chadwick AcademyWidnes	0.89	170	3042.22 m (≈1.89 mi) 2024