Catchment distances

The smallest school catchment areas in 2026

In 2026 the last place at The Ursuline Academy Ilford went to a child living 0.24 km (0.15 miles) away. These are the schools where the furthest child offered a place lived closest, from the allocation figures each council publishes after offer day.

42 councils we cover published a last distance offered for 386 secondary schools in 2026. At 23 of them the last place went to a child living within 1 km (0.62 miles); 154 offered every applicant a place. We only cover councils that publish distances, so this is not every school in England.

Starting school in September 2027

Secondary (Year 7): apply by 31 October 2026; offers on 1 March 2027.
Primary (Reception): apply by 15 January 2027; offers on 16 April 2027.

National dates for England. You apply through the council where you live, even for a school in another council.

Secondary schools (Year 7), 2026

Rank	School	Council	Last distance offered	Applications per place
1	The Ursuline Academy Ilford	Redbridge	0.24 km0.15 miles	—
2	St Thomas More RC College	Tameside	0.29 km0.18 miles	3.0
3	Claremont High School	Brent	0.33 km^†0.20 miles	3.6
4	St Thomas More Catholic School	Haringey	0.35 km0.22 miles	—
5	St Benedict's Catholic College	Essex	0.51 km0.31 miles	—
6	Wren Academy Finchley	Barnet	0.52 km^†0.32 miles	—
7	Graveney School	Wandsworth	0.53 km0.33 miles	—
8	St Andrew's Catholic School	Surrey	0.57 km0.35 miles	—
9	St Mary's and St John's CofE School	Barnet	0.59 km^†0.36 miles	—
10	De La Salle School	Essex	0.59 km0.37 miles	—
11	North Brent School	Brent	0.70 km^†0.44 miles	3.1
12	Hasmonean High School for Boys	Barnet	0.73 km0.45 miles	—
13	Alexandra Park School	Haringey	0.77 km0.48 miles	—
14	Mossley Hollins High School	Tameside	0.78 km0.48 miles	2.6
15	Ealing Fields Church of England High School	Ealing	0.79 km0.49 miles	—
16	Queens Park Community School	Brent	0.81 km^†0.51 miles	2.6
17	St Edmund's Catholic School	Portsmouth	0.82 km0.51 miles	2.9
18	All Hallows Catholic School	Surrey	0.83 km0.52 miles	—
19	Ashmole Academy	Barnet	0.87 km0.54 miles	—
20	Pinner High School	Harrow	0.88 km0.55 miles	6.9
21	Seven Kings School	Redbridge	0.91 km0.56 miles	—
22	Droylsden Academy	Tameside	0.98 km0.61 miles	2.7
23	Ruislip High School	Hillingdon	0.98 km0.61 miles	4.6
24	Sandringham School	Hertfordshire	1.01 km0.63 miles	4.2
25	Sir John Lawes School	Hertfordshire	1.03 km0.64 miles	3.9
26	William Perkin Church of England High School	Ealing	1.04 km0.65 miles	—
27	Becket Keys Church of England Free School	Essex	1.04 km0.65 miles	—
28	Ark Isaac Newton Academy	Redbridge	1.05 km0.65 miles	—
29	Harris Academy Sutton	Sutton	1.05 km0.66 miles	—
30	Saint Cecilia's Church of England School	Wandsworth	1.06 km0.66 miles	—
31	Barnhill Community High School	Hillingdon	1.08 km0.67 miles	3.9
32	Ada Lovelace Church of England High School	Ealing	1.10 km0.68 miles	—
33	Greenshaw High School	Sutton	1.11 km0.69 miles	—
34	Redden Court School	Havering	1.11 km0.69 miles	5.6
35	Orleans Park School	Richmond upon Thames	1.11 km0.69 miles	—
36	Oakgrove School	Milton Keynes	1.12 km0.70 miles	—
37	The Stanway School	Essex	1.12 km0.70 miles	—
38	Laurus Cheadle Hulme	Stockport	1.13 km0.70 miles	—
39	Walthamstow Academy	Waltham Forest	1.13 km0.70 miles	—
40	E-Act Ousedale School	Milton Keynes	1.14 km0.71 miles	—
41	Finchley Catholic High School	Barnet	1.15 km0.72 miles	—
42	Wembley High Technology College	Brent	1.15 km^†0.72 miles	5.4
43	Frederick Bremer School	Waltham Forest	1.16 km0.72 miles	—
44	The Beaulieu Park School	Essex	1.19 km0.74 miles	—
45	Moulsham High School	Essex	1.20 km0.75 miles	—
46	Walthamstow School for Girls	Waltham Forest	1.22 km0.76 miles	—
47	Whitmore High School	Harrow	1.23 km0.77 miles	5.0
48	The Kingston Academy	Kingston upon Thames	1.24 km0.77 miles	—
49	Samuel Ryder Academy	Hertfordshire	1.24 km^†0.77 miles	4.7
50	Northwood School	Hillingdon	1.24 km0.77 miles	4.6

† Distance for the last admission rule places reached, for example children without a sibling or outside the faith criteria. The school page names the rule.

Primary and infant schools (Reception), 2026

Rank	School	Council	Last distance offered	Applications per place
1	St Joseph's Catholic Primary School	Surrey	0.07 km0.04 miles	—
2	St John's Highbury Vale CofE Primary School	Islington	0.15 km0.09 miles	—
3	The Cathedral Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Chelmsford	Essex	0.16 km0.10 miles	—
4	St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School	Peterborough	0.17 km0.11 miles	—
5	Thakeham Primary School	West Sussex	0.19 km0.12 miles	—
6	St Edmund Campion Catholic Primary School and Nursery	Windsor and Maidenhead	0.21 km0.13 miles	2.8
7	Our Lady Queen of Heaven RC School	Wandsworth	0.27 km0.17 miles	—
8	Kingsbrook View Primary Academy	Buckinghamshire	0.28 km0.17 miles	—
9	Wix and Wrabness Primary School	Essex	0.28 km0.18 miles	—
10	Two Waters Primary School	Hertfordshire	0.29 km0.18 miles	4.1
11	Oxford Road Community School	Reading	0.29 km0.18 miles	—
12	St Mary Magdalene Academy	Islington	0.30 km0.18 miles	—
13	Ronald Ross Primary School	Wandsworth	0.30 km0.19 miles	—
14	Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School	Redbridge	0.30 km^†0.19 miles	—
15	Gillespie Primary School	Islington	0.31 km0.19 miles	—
16	Woodford Primary School	Stockport	0.31 km0.19 miles	—
17	St Mary's CofE Nursery and Primary School	Wandsworth	0.31 km0.19 miles	—
18	Grasmere Primary School	Hackney	0.32 km0.20 miles	6.1
19	Heber Primary School	Southwark	0.32 km0.20 miles	4.2
20	Warren Dell Primary School	Hertfordshire	0.32 km0.20 miles	4.3
21	Farncombe Church of England Infant School	Surrey	0.33 km0.20 miles	—
22	St Edburg's Church of England (VA) School	Oxfordshire	0.33 km0.21 miles	1.9
23	St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School	Brent	0.33 km^†0.21 miles	2.7
24	Ickford School	Buckinghamshire	0.34 km0.21 miles	—
25	Greenleas School	Central Bedfordshire	0.34 km0.21 miles	—
26	Panshanger Primary School	Hertfordshire	0.34 km0.21 miles	3.8
27	Pemberley Academy	Essex	0.34 km0.21 miles	—
28	Belmont Infant School	Haringey	0.35 km0.22 miles	—
29	Bigland Green Primary School	Tower Hamlets	0.35 km0.22 miles	3.2
30	Sheringdale Primary School	Wandsworth	0.35 km0.22 miles	—
31	Crampton Primary	Southwark	0.35 km0.22 miles	3.9
32	Middlefield Primary Academy	Cambridgeshire	0.36 km0.22 miles	—
33	St Saviour's CofE Primary School	Westminster	0.36 km0.22 miles	—
34	Earlsfield Primary School	Wandsworth	0.36 km0.22 miles	—
35	Baynards Primary School	Essex	0.36 km0.22 miles	—
36	Perryfields Infant School	Essex	0.36 km0.22 miles	—
37	Purford Green Primary School	Essex	0.36 km0.22 miles	—
38	Brookland Infant and Nursery School	Hertfordshire	0.37 km^†0.23 miles	2.5
39	St Andrew's CofE VC Primary School	Central Bedfordshire	0.37 km0.23 miles	—
40	Holly Trees Primary School	Essex	0.37 km0.23 miles	—
41	Harris Primary Academy Philip Lane	Haringey	0.38 km0.24 miles	—
42	Newhall Primary Academy	Essex	0.39 km0.24 miles	—
43	St Louis Catholic Primary School	Buckinghamshire	0.39 km0.24 miles	—
44	Immanuel and St Andrew Church of England Primary School	Lambeth	0.39 km^†0.24 miles	3.7
45	Streatham Wells Primary	Lambeth	0.39 km0.24 miles	6.5
46	Gravenhurst Academy	Central Bedfordshire	0.39 km0.24 miles	—
47	William Tyndale Primary School	Islington	0.39 km0.24 miles	—
48	Betty Layward Primary School	Hackney	0.39 km0.24 miles	4.2
49	St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School	Portsmouth	0.39 km0.24 miles	3.7
50	Aureus Primary School	Oxfordshire	0.40 km0.25 miles	3.7

† Distance for the last admission rule places reached, for example children without a sibling or outside the faith criteria. The school page names the rule.

Councils with the tightest secondary catchments

Median last distance offered at secondary schools with a distance in 2026; councils with at least 5 such schools.

Council	Median distance	Schools with a distance	All offered
Waltham Forest	1.34 km0.83 miles	9	8
Ealing	1.40 km0.87 miles	8	7
Hillingdon	1.51 km0.94 miles	8	6
Barnet	1.63 km1.01 miles	15	8
Portsmouth	1.75 km1.09 miles	6	4
Redbridge	1.86 km1.16 miles	10	6
Haringey	1.90 km1.18 miles	6	5
Barking and Dagenham	1.99 km1.24 miles	6	0
Tameside	2.12 km1.32 miles	11	4
Hounslow	2.21 km1.37 miles	6	7
Sutton	2.36 km1.47 miles	6	1
Havering	2.50 km1.56 miles	7	10
Kingston upon Thames	2.60 km1.62 miles	5	2
Stockport	2.70 km1.68 miles	14	0
Bromley	2.75 km1.71 miles	10	0
Brent	2.77 km1.72 miles	16	0
Milton Keynes	2.79 km1.73 miles	9	6
Hertfordshire	2.98 km1.85 miles	41	0
Richmond upon Thames	3.14 km1.95 miles	6	2
Surrey	3.29 km2.04 miles	35	20
Peterborough	3.31 km2.06 miles	8	0
Bury	3.58 km2.22 miles	6	3
Essex	3.68 km2.29 miles	40	0
West Sussex	3.81 km2.37 miles	6	14
Windsor and Maidenhead	3.87 km2.41 miles	6	0
Trafford	4.07 km2.53 miles	12	4
Cambridgeshire	5.77 km3.59 miles	20	0
Buckinghamshire	5.99 km3.72 miles	25	6
East Sussex	6.21 km3.86 miles	5	0

Reading these figures

The last distance offered is how far from the school the final child offered a place on distance lived. It is not a fixed boundary: it moves every year with sibling numbers and how many families apply.
Faith, selective and banded schools fill many places on other rules first, so a short distance there applies only to the children admitted on distance.
Distances are straight-line or walking measures, as each council publishes them. Open a school for every year we hold, the source document, and how far your postcode is.

See every school in a council on the catchment distances by council pages, or check the schools in reach of your postcode.