School admissions in Southampton
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 43 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
47 schools. 11 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. 8 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint George Catholic Voluntary Aided College Southampton | 1.57 | 191 | not published |
| Cantell School | 1.33 | 239 | not published |
| St Mark's Church of England School | 1.33 | 113 | 1.366 miles |
| Upper Shirley High School | 1.15 | 215 | not published |
| Oasis Academy Sholing | 1.08 | 209 | 1.106 miles |
| Woodlands Community College | 1.07 | 180 | 1.108 miles |
| Redbridge Community School | 1.03 | 223 | 3.934 miles |
| Bitterne Park School | 1.01 | 332 | 1.346 miles |
| Regents Park Community College | 0.85 | 146 | 1.685 miles |
| St Anne's Catholic School | 0.81 | 205 | not published |
| Oasis Academy Mayfield | 0.70 | 178 | 1.03 miles |
| Weston Secondary School | 0.60 | 116 | not published |
| Oasis Academy Lord's Hill | 0.28 | 151 | 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.