School admissions in Nottingham
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 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
75 schools. 12 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
19 schools. 7 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places |
|---|---|---|
| Nottingham University Academy of Science and Technology | 1.62 | 120 |
| Nottingham Free School | 1.54 | 120 |
| Bluecoat Aspley Academy | 1.47 | 187 |
| Fernwood School | 1.45 | 293 |
| Bluecoat Trent Academy | 1.21 | 237 |
| The Trinity Catholic School A Voluntary Academy | 1.12 | 187 |
| Bluecoat Wollaton Academy | 1.11 | 206 |
| The Oakwood Academy | 0.90 | 157 |
| Park Vale Academy | 0.90 | 186 |
| Nottingham Girls' Academy | 0.88 | 170 |
| Farnborough Spencer Academy | 0.84 | 177 |
| The Nottingham Emmanuel School | 0.82 | 177 |
| The Bulwell Academy | 0.81 | 181 |
| Nottingham Academy | 0.78 | 169 |
| Bluecoat Beechdale Academy | 0.72 | 177 |
| Nottingham University Samworth Academy | 0.64 | 149 |
| Djanogly City Academy | 0.63 | 238 |
| The Wells Academy | 0.62 | 71 |
| Ellis Guilford School | 0.59 | 212 |
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.