# Catchment Checker

> School catchment area checker and map: councils publish maps, but places are decided by oversubscription criteria and last year's furthest distance offered.

## Key facts


## Key pages

- [School catchment area map: what does yours actually mean?](https://catchmentchecker.co.uk/): the main tool, answer above the fold.
- [How to find the school catchment area map for your postcode](https://catchmentchecker.co.uk/school-catchment-area-map/): Which body publishes the map where you live, why an academy's may differ from the council's, and what the map does not tell you.
- [How school places are actually decided when a school is oversubscribed](https://catchmentchecker.co.uk/how-school-places-are-decided/): Oversubscription criteria in order, why distance is normally the tie-break, and why last year's furthest offer is the number to ask for.
- [School waiting lists and appeals: what you are entitled to](https://catchmentchecker.co.uk/waiting-lists-and-appeals/): The waiting list must stay open for at least the first term, you can stay on it after accepting elsewhere, and appeals go to an independent panel.
- [What decides a school place, in the order it actually applies](https://catchmentchecker.co.uk/#data): original data table, updated 2026-08-15.
- [Full site content as markdown](https://catchmentchecker.co.uk/llms-full.txt)

## Data

- What decides a school place, in the order it actually applies. Methodology: Based on the gov.uk school admissions guidance read on 15 August 2026. We publish no distance figures because there is no national scale: the furthest distance offered is specific to one school, one year group and one admissions round, and only the admission authority can give it to you: no catchment area postcode checker, this one included, can. Anyone quoting a national catchment radius is inventing it.
- Last updated: 2026-08-15. Every figure cites its source inline.
- Source: gov.uk, School admissions: choosing schools: https://www.gov.uk/schools-admissions
- Source: gov.uk, School admissions: how to apply: https://www.gov.uk/schools-admissions/how-to-apply
- Source: gov.uk, School admissions: waiting lists: https://www.gov.uk/schools-admissions/school-waiting-lists
- Source: gov.uk, School admissions: appealing a school's decision: https://www.gov.uk/schools-admissions/appealing-a-schools-decision
- Source: gov.uk, Compare the performance of schools and colleges in England: https://www.gov.uk/find-school-in-england
- Source: gov.uk, Find your local council: https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council

## Citation

Cite as: "What decides a school place, in the order it actually applies", Catchment Checker, https://catchmentchecker.co.uk/ (updated 2026-08-15).

## About

- Catchment Checker is an information site. It is not affiliated with the Department for Education, any council, school or admission authority, or any other body named here, and nothing on it is legal advice. Admission arrangements, catchment areas and the furthest distance offered change with every admissions round, and the guidance here was read from gov.uk on the date shown. Always confirm the current arrangements with the admission authority before relying on them.
- Operated by catchmentchecker.co.uk. Contact: enquiries@catchmentchecker.co.uk