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.