School admissions in Wirral

How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 22 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

84 schools. 17 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Brookdale Primary SchoolWIRRAL	1.63	30	not published
Gayton Primary SchoolWirral	1.47	30	not published
Eastway Primary SchoolWirral	1.30	30	not published
Thingwall Primary SchoolWirral	1.23	30	0.71 miles 2026
Thornton Hough Primary SchoolWirral	1.22	27	2.39 miles 2026
Birkenhead High School AcademyPrenton	1.20	56	not published
Our Lady of Pity Catholic Primary and Nursery SchoolWirral	1.18	60	not published
Mersey Park Primary SchoolWirral	1.17	60	0.55 miles 2026
Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary SchoolBirkenhead	1.10	30	0.45 miles 2026
Oxton St Saviour's CofE Primary SchoolPrenton	1.10	30	1.1 miles 2026
Poulton Lancelyn Primary SchoolWirral	1.10	61	0.97 miles 2026
Bidston Avenue Primary SchoolBirkenhead	1.08	60	1.26 miles 2026
SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyWallasey	1.07	30	0.37 miles 2026
Co-op Academy PortlandBirkenhead	1.03	30	0.45 miles 2026
Heswall Primary SchoolWirral	1.03	30	1.21 miles 2026
Irby Primary SchoolWirral	1.03	30	1.14 miles 2026
Church Drive Primary SchoolWirral	1.02	45	1.18 miles 2026
Black Horse Hill Infant SchoolWirral	1.00	26	not published
Mendell Primary SchoolWirral	1.00	18	not published
Millfields Church of England (Controlled) Primary SchoolWirral	1.00	5	not published
St Andrew's CofE Primary SchoolWirral	1.00	20	not published
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, WallaseyWallasey	1.00	14	not published
St Paul's Catholic Primary SchoolPrenton	1.00	10	not published
St Peter's Catholic Primary SchoolPrenton	1.00	20	not published
St Werburgh's Catholic Primary SchoolBirkenhead	1.00	24	not published
St George's Primary SchoolWallasey	0.99	117	not published
Liscard Primary SchoolWallasey	0.99	90	not published
Heygarth Primary SchoolWirral	0.98	41	not published
Town Lane Infant SchoolWirral	0.97	80	not published
New Brighton Primary SchoolWallasey	0.97	77	not published
Greenleas Primary SchoolWallasey	0.97	37	not published
Co-op Academy WoodsleeWirral	0.97	35	not published
Devonshire Park Primary SchoolBirkenhead	0.97	33	not published
West Kirby St Bridget's CofE Primary SchoolWirral	0.97	60	not published
Grove Street Primary SchoolWirral	0.97	29	not published
The Priory Parish CofE Primary SchoolBirkenhead	0.97	29	not published
Castleway Primary SchoolWirral	0.96	26	not published
Great Meols Primary SchoolWirral	0.96	49	not published
St John's Catholic Infant SchoolWirral	0.96	49	not published
Barnston Primary SchoolWirral	0.96	45	1.93 miles 2026
West Kirby Primary SchoolWirral	0.96	45	1.49 miles 2026
Fender Primary SchoolWirral	0.95	44	not published
Riverside Primary SchoolWirral	0.95	22	not published
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary SchoolWirral	0.95	21	not published
Greasby Infant SchoolWirral	0.95	60	1.22 miles 2026
Moreton Christ Church CofE Primary SchoolWirral	0.95	60	not published
Hoylake Holy Trinity CofE Primary SchoolWirral	0.95	39	not published
Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary SchoolPrenton	0.95	38	not published
Mount Primary SchoolWirral	0.94	32	not published
Christ The King Catholic Primary SchoolWirral	0.93	45	not published
St Michael and All Angels Catholic Primary SchoolWirral	0.93	29	not published
Kingsway Primary SchoolWallasey	0.93	14	not published
Park Primary SchoolWallasey	0.93	41	not published
Somerville Primary SchoolWallasey	0.93	41	not published
Townfield Primary SchoolWirral	0.92	53	not published
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, BirkenheadPrenton	0.92	25	not published
Brackenwood Infant SchoolWirral	0.92	48	not published
St Anne's Catholic Primary SchoolBirkenhead	0.91	23	not published
Co-op Academy HillsidePrenton	0.91	11	not published
Egremont Primary SchoolWallasey	0.91	33	not published
Raeburn Primary SchoolWirral	0.91	55	not published
Well Lane Primary SchoolBirkenhead	0.90	21	not published
Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary SchoolBirkenhead	0.90	41	not published
Bedford Drive Primary SchoolBirkenhead	0.90	40	not published
Prenton Primary SchoolPrenton	0.90	60	not published
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School UptonWirral	0.90	30	not published
Cathcart Street Primary SchoolWirral	0.90	29	not published
Holy Spirit Catholic and Church of England Primary SchoolWirral	0.89	19	not published
Stanton Road Primary SchoolWirral	0.89	27	not published
Woodlands Primary SchoolBirkenhead	0.89	36	not published
St Alban's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyWallasey	0.88	8	not published
Thurstaston Dawpool CofE Primary SchoolWirral	0.88	24	not published
Holy Cross Catholic Primary SchoolBirkenhead	0.87	23	not published
Leasowe Primary SchoolWirral	0.86	14	not published
Chapelhill Primary SchoolWirral	0.83	6	not published
Heswall St Peter's CofE Primary SchoolWirral	0.83	30	not published
Lingham Primary SchoolWirral	0.82	28	not published
Rock Ferry Primary SchoolBirkenhead	0.81	32	not published
Overchurch Infant SchoolWirral	0.81	89	not published
Ladymount Catholic Primary SchoolWirral	0.80	30	not published
Pensby Primary SchoolWirral	0.80	30	not published
Woodchurch CofE Primary SchoolWirral	0.78	18	not published
Woodchurch Road AcademyBirkenhead	0.76	21	not published
Manor Primary SchoolWirral	0.73	11	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.

Year 7 places, September 2026

20 schools. 8 received more first preferences than they had places.

School	First preferences per place	Places	Cutoff distance
Birkenhead High School AcademyPrenton	1.41	116	not published
Co-op Academy BebingtonWirral	1.19	177	2.41 miles 2026
Wirral Grammar School for BoysWirral	1.14	167	not published
Wirral Grammar School for GirlsWirral	1.12	178	not published
Calday Grange Grammar SchoolWirral	1.10	202	not published
Upton Hall School FCJWirral	1.06	156	not published
Weatherhead High SchoolWallasey	1.05	259	2.34 miles 2026
Hilbre High SchoolWirral	1.02	178	3.97 miles 2026
St Anselm's CollegePrenton	0.99	157	not published
Woodchurch High SchoolWirral	0.98	253	3.48 miles 2026
The Mosslands SchoolWallasey	0.96	138	not published
Pensby High SchoolWirral	0.95	173	5.93 miles 2026
St Mary's Catholic College, A Voluntary AcademyWallasey	0.95	168	not published
West Kirby Grammar SchoolWirral	0.95	172	not published
St John Plessington Catholic CollegeWirral	0.94	207	not published
Prenton High School for GirlsBirkenhead	0.93	147	3.44 miles 2026
South Wirral High SchoolWirral	0.92	178	not published
Birkenhead Park SchoolBirkenhead	0.87	152	not published
Ridgeway High SchoolPrenton	0.81	129	not published
Co-op Academy OldershawWallasey	0.80	102	not published