School admissions in Wirral

How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 15 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.

Wirral in figures

For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 51 schools in Wirral first 1,828 times for 1,854 places: 0.99 first choices per place, against 0.98 across the Wirral authority's 84 schools. 11 of the 51 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 10 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.55 miles (Mersey Park Primary School) to 2.39 miles (Thornton Hough Primary School).

For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 11 schools in Wirral first 2,102 times for 2,041 places: 1.03 first choices per place, against 1.01 across the Wirral authority's 20 schools. 6 of the 11 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 4 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 2.41 miles (Co-op Academy Bebington) to 5.93 miles (Pensby High 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

51 schools. 11 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Brookdale Primary SchoolWIRRAL	1.63	30	not published
Gayton Primary SchoolWirral	1.47	30	not published
Eastway Primary SchoolWirral	1.30	30	not published
Thingwall Primary SchoolWirral	1.23	30	0.71 miles 2026
Thornton Hough Primary SchoolWirral	1.22	27	2.39 miles 2026
Our Lady of Pity Catholic Primary and Nursery SchoolWirral	1.18	60	not published
Mersey Park Primary SchoolWirral	1.17	60	0.55 miles 2026
Poulton Lancelyn Primary SchoolWirral	1.10	61	0.97 miles 2026
Heswall Primary SchoolWirral	1.03	30	1.21 miles 2026
Irby Primary SchoolWirral	1.03	30	1.14 miles 2026
Church Drive Primary SchoolWirral	1.02	45	1.18 miles 2026
Black Horse Hill Infant SchoolWirral	1.00	26	not published
Mendell Primary SchoolWirral	1.00	18	not published
Millfields Church of England (Controlled) Primary SchoolWirral	1.00	5	not published
St Andrew's CofE Primary SchoolWirral	1.00	20	not published
Heygarth Primary SchoolWirral	0.98	41	not published
Town Lane Infant SchoolWirral	0.97	80	not published
Co-op Academy WoodsleeWirral	0.97	35	not published
West Kirby St Bridget's CofE Primary SchoolWirral	0.97	60	not published
Grove Street Primary SchoolWirral	0.97	29	not published
Castleway Primary SchoolWirral	0.96	26	not published
Great Meols Primary SchoolWirral	0.96	49	not published
St John's Catholic Infant SchoolWirral	0.96	49	not published
Barnston Primary SchoolWirral	0.96	45	1.93 miles 2026
West Kirby Primary SchoolWirral	0.96	45	1.49 miles 2026
Fender Primary SchoolWirral	0.95	44	not published
Riverside Primary SchoolWirral	0.95	22	not published
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary SchoolWirral	0.95	21	not published
Greasby Infant SchoolWirral	0.95	60	1.22 miles 2026
Moreton Christ Church CofE Primary SchoolWirral	0.95	60	not published
Hoylake Holy Trinity CofE Primary SchoolWirral	0.95	39	not published
Mount Primary SchoolWirral	0.94	32	not published
Christ The King Catholic Primary SchoolWirral	0.93	45	not published
St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary SchoolWirral	0.93	29	not published
Townfield Primary SchoolWirral	0.92	53	not published
Brackenwood Infant SchoolWirral	0.92	48	not published
Raeburn Primary SchoolWirral	0.91	55	not published
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School UptonWirral	0.90	30	not published
Cathcart Street Primary SchoolWirral	0.90	29	not published
Holy Spirit Catholic and Church of England Primary SchoolWirral	0.89	19	not published
Stanton Road Primary SchoolWirral	0.89	27	not published
Thurstaston Dawpool CofE Primary SchoolWirral	0.88	24	not published
Leasowe Primary SchoolWirral	0.86	14	not published
Chapelhill Primary SchoolWirral	0.83	6	not published
Heswall St Peter's CofE Primary SchoolWirral	0.83	30	not published
Lingham Primary SchoolWirral	0.82	28	not published
Overchurch Infant SchoolWirral	0.81	89	not published
Ladymount Catholic Primary SchoolWirral	0.80	30	not published
Pensby Primary SchoolWirral	0.80	30	not published
Woodchurch CofE Primary SchoolWirral	0.78	18	not published
Manor Primary SchoolWirral	0.73	11	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

11 schools. 6 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Co-op Academy BebingtonWirral	1.19	177	2.41 miles 2026
Wirral Grammar School for BoysWirral	1.14	167	not published
Wirral Grammar School for GirlsWirral	1.12	178	not published
Calday Grange Grammar SchoolWirral	1.10	202	not published
Upton Hall School FCJWirral	1.06	156	not published
Hilbre High SchoolWirral	1.02	178	3.97 miles 2026
Woodchurch High SchoolWirral	0.98	253	3.48 miles 2026
Pensby High SchoolWirral	0.95	173	5.93 miles 2026
West Kirby Grammar SchoolWirral	0.95	172	not published
St John Plessington Catholic CollegeWirral	0.94	207	not published
South Wirral High SchoolWirral	0.92	178	not published