The hardest secondary schools to get into in Cambridgeshire

The hardest secondary schools to get into have been revealed as the window opens for parents and carers to decide where their children will study

The hardest secondary schools to get into in Cambridgeshire have been revealed as parents and carers decide where their children will study next year. The window for applications for pupils starting year 7 in September 2027 opened earlier this month and will run until October 31.

Last year, 7,050 students found out where they’d be heading with 96.7 per cent securing a place at one of their first, second or third preference schools.

The hardest school to get into was Chesterton Community College, with enough places for just 60 per cent of children who put it down as their first preference. Earlier this year, the school was listed as the top performing school in the county – with 83.7 per cent of pupils achieving a Grade 5 or higher in their English and maths GCSEs.

In its latest Ofsted report, the school was rated outstanding in every category, with the inspector finding it has an “extremely high level of ambition for all pupils” which is matched by the pupils’ “own determination to succeed”.

St Bede’s Inter-Church School in Cambridge was the second hardest to get into with 190 places for 301 first-place preferences – a success rate of 63 per cent.

Soham Village College was ranked third with 78 per cent of pupils successfully admitted to 270 places from 247 first-place preferences.

Parents and carers of children about to enter secondary school can submit their applications for places on the county council website.

They have until the national closing date of October 31, after which late applications will be considered once all on-time applications are determined.

A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesperson said: “This year in Cambridgeshire 96.6 per cent of children were offered a place at either their first, second or third preference schools, this is above national benchmarks. Notably, both this year and last year, 5 per cent more children in Cambridgeshire received an offer from their first preference school than did nationally.

“We’re committed to providing the best possible start in life for young people in our county and access to high quality education close to home is key. With population centres changing over time around our growing county, the council’s Education team work hard, in partnership with schools and with careful reference to pupil forecasting figures, to try and ensure we can offer the right numbers of school places, in the right areas, when they are needed.”