School catchment areas explained
How school catchment areas work in England: how to check a school's catchment, how distance is measured, and why living in catchment never guarantees a place.
A school catchment area is a mapped area whose children get priority for a school when more children apply than it has places. In England it is only one of several ways schools decide who gets in, not every school has one, and even where one exists, living inside it does not guarantee a place. This guide explains what a catchment area really is, how to check one for a specific school, how distance is measured, and why the effective cut-off can move from year to year.
What a catchment area is, and what it is not
In everyday use, "catchment" means the area a school draws its pupils from. In admissions terms it is narrower. The School Admissions Code defines a catchment area as "a geographical area, from which children may be afforded priority for admission to a particular school". It is one possible oversubscription criterion, used only when a school is oversubscribed. If a school has room for everyone who applies, everyone is offered a place and catchment does not matter. The exception is a designated grammar school, which can leave places empty if too few applicants reach its standard.
Two things follow. First, not every school has a formal catchment area, so check rather than assume. Many schools simply use distance from the school instead. Second, even where a catchment exists, it sits inside a longer list of admission rules. Being in the catchment moves you up that list, but it does not jump you past the children the law puts first.
The Code also says catchment areas must be "reasonable and clearly defined", and that they do not stop parents who live outside the catchment from naming the school as a preference.
How schools decide who gets in
Every state school has an admission authority, which publishes its admission arrangements, including the oversubscription criteria used when there are more applicants than places:
| School type | Admission authority |
|---|---|
| Community and voluntary-controlled schools | Usually the local council |
| Foundation and voluntary-aided schools | The school's governing body |
| Academies and free schools | The academy trust |
When a school is full, places are offered strictly in the order its criteria set out. Two statutory rules come first. Under the Code, a child whose education, health and care (EHC) plan names the school must be admitted. Then looked-after children and previously looked-after children, including children adopted from state care outside England, get the highest priority within the oversubscription criteria. After those groups, each admission authority chooses its own criteria and order. GOV.UK lists the common ones:
- Children with a brother or sister already at the school.
- Children who live nearby, measured by distance or a catchment area.
- Children of a particular faith, at faith schools.
- Children who attended a named feeder school.
- Children who pass an entrance test, at grammar and other selective schools.
- Children eligible for the pupil premium or service pupil premium.
- Children of a parent who has worked at the school for two years or more.
Two schools on the same street can rank these differently, so the published arrangements are the only reliable guide to how a specific school decides. Every set of arrangements must also include a tie-breaker, often distance or random allocation, to separate two applications that are otherwise equal.
Catchment areas, priority areas, distance and feeder schools
"Catchment" is used loosely for several different mechanisms. They behave differently, so it helps to know which one a school uses.
| Mechanism | How it works | How predictable it is |
|---|---|---|
| Catchment or priority area | A mapped zone. Children inside it rank above those outside it within that criterion, and are often ranked against each other by distance. | Fairly stable, but it can be redrawn after consultation, and not every child inside is guaranteed a place. |
| Distance only | No zone. Places go to the nearest children once higher priority groups are placed. | Moves each year with demand. |
| Feeder schools | Priority for children at one or more named schools, alone or alongside catchment or distance. The Code requires the link to be transparent and made on reasonable grounds. | Depends on the size of the feeder cohort. |
At a grammar school, catchment or distance can decide between children who have already passed the entrance test. Our guide to the 11-plus explains how that works.
How distance is measured
Where distance is used, the detail matters more than parents expect. The Code requires each admission authority to set out clearly how distance is measured, including how your home address is determined and the point at the school it is measured from. The arrangements should also say how they treat a child who lives part of the week with each parent. A common method is a straight line from a fixed point at your home to a fixed point at the school, such as the main entrance. Some authorities measure a walking route instead, which can give a different answer for the same house.
Distance usually comes into play only after the higher priority groups have been placed. In a year with many siblings applying, fewer places are left for distance, so the last child offered a place may live very close to the school.
Why the catchment cut-off moves each year
This is the point that catches families out. Where a school relies on distance, there is no permanent boundary. The effective catchment is set each year by the last distance offered: how far from the school the last child offered a place under the distance criterion lived. That figure shifts with the number of siblings applying, families moving in or out, and how popular the school is that year.
So a house comfortably inside the cut-off one year can fall outside it the next. Treat any catchment figure, including last year's last distance offered, as a guide to where you stand rather than a promise.
Formal catchment areas can change too, but not overnight. An admission authority that wants to change its arrangements, including its catchment, must first consult publicly for at least six weeks between 1 October and 31 January, must set its arrangements by 28 February and must publish them by 15 March. For a place starting in September 2027, the arrangements were set by 28 February 2026, so they should already be on the school's or council's website. Any change for September 2028 would be consulted on between 1 October 2026 and 31 January 2027.
The School Admissions Code 2021 is the version in force as of September 2026. The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 now also requires schools and academies to co-operate with their council on admissions, so check the current year's arrangements rather than relying on what a school did in the past.
How to check a school's catchment
- Read the school's admission arrangements. They are on the school's website or your council's admissions pages, and your council also publishes a composite prospectus for local schools each September. The arrangements say whether the school uses a catchment area, distance, feeder schools or a mix, and exactly how it measures distance.
- Check whether your address is inside any catchment. Some councils publish catchment maps or an online address checker. If your home is near a boundary, ask the council's admissions team to confirm. You can find your local council on GOV.UK.
- Look at recent last distance offered figures. Many councils publish these for recent years, and they give a realistic sense of how close children have needed to live in recent years.
- Apply through your home council by the deadline. You apply through your own council even for schools in another area, naming several schools in order of preference. For September 2027 entry, the deadline is 31 October 2026 for secondary school and 15 January 2027 for primary school. Outside the normal round, follow your council's in-year process.
Our guide to school admissions in England covers the application itself, and the secondary and primary timelines set out every date.
Using an address to get into catchment
Admission arrangements must make clear how your home address is decided, so check the rules, including which date counts and what proof is needed, with your council before you move. Do not use an address where your child does not really live. Under the Code, a place obtained through a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application can be withdrawn, even after your child has started at the school.
If you think the rules are unfair, or you are refused
If you think a school's arrangements are unlawful or break the School Admissions Code, anyone can object to the Schools Adjudicator by 15 May in the year the arrangements are set. For arrangements that apply from September 2028, that is 15 May 2027. Separately, if your child is refused a place, you have a right to appeal, and your child can go on the school's waiting list. Our guides on how to appeal a school place and how waiting lists work explain both.
How FindMySchool helps
Catchment is really a question of distance and demand. Where councils publish last distance offered figures, FindMySchool school profiles show them for each admission band the council publishes, such as distance, catchment, siblings, faith, feeder schools or aptitude, so you can compare them with how far you live from the school. These figures come from previous years and move with demand, so each profile that shows them reminds you that they do not guarantee a place.
- Use the school search and the map to find schools near your postcode and see how far away they are.
- School Match suggests schools based on your family's priorities and location, including admissions data. It needs a free FindMySchool account, and your first search shows your top match in full for free. There is also a secondary version.
- Applying for Reception? Check when your child starts school.
Before you commit to preferences, do three things: read each school's admission arrangements in full, check its recent last distance offered against your address, and make sure your list includes at least one school you are confident of reaching. That balances ambition with a realistic safety net.
Frequently asked questions
A catchment area is a mapped area whose children get priority for a school when it has more applicants than places. It is one of several criteria a school can use, not every school has one, and living inside it does not on its own guarantee a place.