School admissions in Thurrock

How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 7 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

39 schools. 10 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places
Quarry Hill AcademyGrays	1.66	58
Abbots Hall Primary SchoolStanford-le-Hope	1.50	60
Dilkes AcademySouth Ockendon	1.45	60
Graham James Primary AcademyStanford-le-Hope	1.24	59
Stifford Clays Primary SchoolGrays	1.21	57
St Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolTilbury	1.20	30
Arthur Bugler Primary SchoolStanford-le-Hope	1.10	58
Harris Primary Academy Chafford HundredGrays	1.09	88
Giffards Primary SchoolStanford-le-Hope	1.03	60
Harris Primary Academy MayflowerChafford Hundred	1.03	149
Holy Cross Catholic Primary SchoolSouth Ockendon	1.00	22
Purfleet Primary AcademyPurfleet-on-Thames	0.99	68
Tudor Court Primary SchoolGrays	0.98	60
Deneholm Primary SchoolGrays	0.98	57
Belmont Castle AcademyGrays	0.98	90
Orsett Church of England Primary SchoolGrays	0.97	30
Herringham Primary AcademyGrays	0.96	49
Aveley Primary SchoolSouth Ockendon	0.95	37
Warren Primary SchoolGrays	0.93	60
Kenningtons Primary AcademySouth Ockendon	0.93	59
Thameside Primary SchoolGrays	0.93	86
Tilbury Pioneer AcademyTilbury	0.93	55
Lansdowne Primary AcademyTilbury	0.93	81
East Tilbury Primary SchoolEast Tilbury	0.92	77
Little Thurrock Primary SchoolGrays	0.92	75
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary SchoolGrays	0.91	45
The Gateway Primary Free SchoolGrays	0.91	45
Shaw Primary AcademySouth Ockendon	0.91	32
Woodside AcademyGrays	0.90	69
Chadwell St Mary Primary SchoolGrays	0.89	28
West Thurrock AcademyGrays	0.89	45
Bonnygate Primary SchoolSouth Ockendon	0.88	48
Horndon-On-the-Hill CofE Primary SchoolStanford-le-Hope	0.87	30
Somers Heath Primary SchoolSouth Ockendon	0.80	46
Benyon Primary SchoolSouth Ockendon	0.78	41
Mossbourne Herd Lane AcademyStanford-le-Hope	0.78	41
Bulphan Church of England AcademyBulphan	0.75	12
Stanford-Le-Hope Primary SchoolStanford-le-Hope	0.74	58
St Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolStanford-le-Hope	0.50	26

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. 6 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Harris Academy Chafford HundredGrays	1.81	207	696.02 m (≈0.43 mi) 2026
St Clere's SchoolStanford-le-Hope	1.22	236	not published
The Gateway AcademyGrays	1.12	208	955.8 m (≈0.59 mi) 2026
Harris Academy OckendonSouth Ockendon	1.12	236	1726.88 m (≈1.07 mi) 2026
Orsett Heath AcademyGrays	1.09	235	2065.28 m (≈1.28 mi) 2026
Thames Park Secondary SchoolGrays	1.03	171	2096.09 m (≈1.30 mi) 2026
Harris Academy RiversidePurfleet	0.82	180	2074 m (≈1.29 mi) 2026
Mossbourne Fobbing AcademyStanford-le-Hope	0.69	126	not published
Grays Convent High SchoolGrays	0.60	137	not published
Ormiston Park AcademySouth Ockendon	0.57	118	not published
William Edwards SchoolGrays	0.57	159	not published
The Hathaway AcademyGrays	0.51	110	not published
Mossbourne Port Side AcademyStanford-le-Hope	0.51	85	not published