Most sought-after schools in Southend-on-Sea

Ordered by how many families put the school first, for each place it gave out.

This list is sorted by one number: first preferences per place. For each school it is the number of families who named it first, divided by the number of offers it made, in the newest year we hold. A higher number means more families wanted a place than there were places.

This is not a list of the best schools. It does not measure how good a school is, how happy the children are, or how well they do. It also does not tell you whether a child would get a place: that depends on where you live, the year, and the council's rules. It only shows how many people applied.

# School First preferences per place Newest intake Latest Ofsted
1 Barons Court Primary School and Nursery
Westcliff-on-Sea, primary
2.54 2026 School remains Outstanding (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
2 Southend High School for Boys
Southend-on-Sea, secondary
1.74 2026 Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
3 The Eastwood Academy
Leigh-on-Sea, secondary
1.63 2026 Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
4 Westcliff High School for Boys Academy
Westcliff-on-Sea, secondary
1.54 2026 Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
5 Bournes Green Infant School
Southend-on-Sea, primary
1.53 2026 Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
6 Earls Hall Primary School
Westcliff-on-Sea, primary
1.35 2026 School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
7 Westcliff High School for Girls
Westcliff-on-Sea, secondary
1.29 2026 Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
8 Southend High School for Girls
Southend-on-Sea, secondary
1.25 2026 Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
9 St George's Catholic Primary School
Southend-on-Sea, primary
1.21 2026 Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
10 Chalkwell Hall Infant School
Leigh-on-Sea, primary
1.19 2026 School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
11 St Thomas More High School
Westcliff-on-Sea, secondary
1.13 2026 School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
12 Greenways Primary School
Southend-on-Sea, primary
1.10 2026 Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
13 Eastwood Primary School & Nursery
Leigh-on-Sea, primary
1.07 2026 Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
14 West Leigh Infant School
Leigh-on-Sea, primary
1.07 2026 School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
15 St Bernard's High School
Westcliff-on-Sea, secondary
1.05 2026 School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
16 Hamstel Infant School and Nursery
Southend-on-Sea, primary
1.04 2026 Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
17 Darlinghurst Academy
Leigh-on-Sea, primary
1.02 2026 Improved significantly (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
18 Edwards Hall Primary School
Leigh-on-Sea, primary
0.97 2026 Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
19 Fairways Primary School
Leigh-on-Sea, primary
0.95 2026 School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
20 Friars Primary School and Nursery
Southend-on-Sea, primary
0.95 2026 Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
21 Hinguar Community Primary School
Southend-on-Sea, primary
0.93 2026 Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
22 Heycroft Primary School
LEIGH-on-SEA, primary
0.92 2026 Inadequate (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
23 Leigh North Street Primary School
Leigh-on-Sea, primary
0.91 2026 Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
24 Bournemouth Park Academy
Southend-on-Sea, primary
0.90 2026 Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
25 Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School
Leigh-on-Sea, primary
0.88 2026 Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
26 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School
Southend-on-Sea, primary
0.88 2026 Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
27 Prince Avenue Academy and Nursery
Westcliff-on-Sea, primary
0.85 2026 Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
28 Temple Sutton Primary School
Southend-on-Sea, primary
0.84 2026 Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
29 Cecil Jones Academy
Southend-on-Sea, secondary
0.82 2026 Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
30 St Helen's Catholic Primary School
Westcliff-on-Sea, primary
0.80 2026 Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
31 Blenheim Primary School
Leigh-on-Sea, primary
0.79 2026 Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
32 St Mary's, Prittlewell, CofE Primary School
Southend-on-Sea, primary
0.79 2026 Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
33 Shoeburyness High School
Southend-on-Sea, secondary
0.78 2026 Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
34 Porters Grange Primary School and Nursery
Southend-on-Sea, primary
0.75 2026 Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
35 Southchurch High School
Southend-On-Sea, secondary
0.75 2026 Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
36 Thorpedene Primary School & Nursery
Southend-on-Sea, primary
0.72 2026 Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
37 The Westborough School
Westcliff-on-Sea, primary
0.71 2026 Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
38 Richmond Avenue Primary and Nursery School
Southend-on-Sea, primary
0.66 2026 School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
39 Chase High School
Westcliff-on-Sea, secondary
0.62 2026 Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
40 Milton Hall Primary School and Nursery
Westcliff-on-Sea, primary
0.59 2026 Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
41 Belfairs Academy
Leigh-on-Sea, secondary
0.47 2026 Requires improvement (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))

Figures from the Department for Education, applications and offers. 41 schools in Southend-on-Sea have a published per-place figure. Schools with too few places for the figure to mean anything are left off. All schools in Southend-on-Sea · How we compare schools.