School admissions in Trafford
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 44 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
58 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
19 schools. 10 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places |
|---|---|---|
| Loreto Grammar School | 1.61 | 160 |
| Stretford Grammar School | 1.55 | 170 |
| Saint Ambrose College | 1.50 | 149 |
| Altrincham Grammar School for Boys | 1.40 | 215 |
| Urmston Grammar Academy | 1.40 | 169 |
| Sale Grammar School | 1.35 | 197 |
| Altrincham Grammar School for Girls | 1.34 | 209 |
| Wellington School | 1.26 | 260 |
| Sale High School | 1.07 | 212 |
| Ashton-on-Mersey School | 1.02 | 269 |
| Flixton Girls School | 0.96 | 207 |
| Stretford High School | 0.90 | 196 |
| St Antony's Roman Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy | 0.85 | 149 |
| Wellacre Technology Academy | 0.80 | 155 |
| Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College | 0.73 | 285 |
| Broadoak School | 0.73 | 110 |
| North Cestrian School | 0.64 | 175 |
| Altrincham College | 0.63 | 190 |
| Lostock High School | 0.47 | 77 |
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.