School admissions in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 51 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.
Reception places, September 2026
56 schools. 15 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
21 schools. 10 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poole Grammar School | 1.37 | 177 | not published |
| Bournemouth School | 1.33 | 179 | not published |
| Bournemouth School for Girls | 1.33 | 180 | not published |
| Glenmoor Academy | 1.22 | 190 | 1.1 miles |
| Livingstone Academy Bournemouth | 1.21 | 136 | 1.023 miles |
| Winton Academy | 1.18 | 184 | 1.027 miles |
| St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole | 1.12 | 170 | 1.18 miles |
| Parkstone Grammar School | 1.11 | 192 | not published |
| The Bourne Academy | 1.06 | 171 | 1.003 miles |
| Magna Academy | 1.02 | 171 | 1.971 miles |
| Highcliffe School | 1.00 | 256 | not published |
| The Grange School | 0.99 | 74 | not published |
| Poole High School | 0.98 | 316 | not published |
| St Peter's Catholic Comprehensive School | 0.98 | 184 | 2.801 miles |
| Twynham School | 0.93 | 206 | not published |
| Avonbourne Boys' Academy | 0.86 | 169 | 1.663 miles |
| The Cornerstone Academy | 0.84 | 96 | not published |
| Avonbourne Girls Academy | 0.84 | 204 | 3.652 miles |
| Oak Academy | 0.67 | 122 | not published |
| The Bishop of Winchester Academy | 0.55 | 149 | 1.065 miles |
| St Aldhelm's Academy | 0.46 | 152 | 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.