Horniman Primary School admissions: how far away places were offered

0.29 miles

Last place offered on distance, 2026

473 m

Last distance offered, 2022 to 2026

Places, 2027 entry
30
Applications, 2026
172

In 2026, the last child offered a place at Horniman Primary School under the distance criterion lived 0.29 miles away.

Community school · 30 Reception places for September 2027
Horniman Drive, London, SE23 3BP

Last updated · Figures from Lewisham Council · How we work these out

Reception offers at Horniman Primary School, year by year

Horniman Primary School: Reception applications, places and last distance offered Source: Lewisham Council allocation figures (see sources). The last distance offered is for the group that got the last places.
Year Last distance offered Who got the last places Places that year Places to siblings Applications
2026 0.29 miles
published as 472.85m
Children living nearest 30 15 172
2025 0.33 miles
published as 525.09m
Children living nearest 30 6 132
2024 0.44 miles
published as 703.42m
Children living nearest 30 10 146
2023 0.27 miles
published as 437.58m
Children living nearest 30 12 186
2022 0.32 miles
published as 512.56m
Children living nearest 30 11 171

Things to know before you apply for September 2027

  • Less predictable The distance cut-off has moved a lot from year to year (between 438 m and 703 m, or 0.27 and 0.44 miles), and the share of places going to siblings has swung (6 of 30 places in 2025, 15 of 30 in 2026). Treat past cut-offs here with extra caution.
  • The distance cut-off shrank from 0.33 miles in 2025 to 0.29 miles in 2026.

Ofsted inspection

At an ungraded inspection that ended on 7 December 2023, Ofsted found that Horniman Primary School remains Good.

Ungraded inspection (previous framework), .

  • This inspection was under Ofsted’s previous framework. Since 10 November 2025 Ofsted publishes report cards instead, and says the new grades can’t be compared with the old ones. How Ofsted grades schools
  • From Ofsted’s data as at 30 September 2026. An inspection after that date may not be shown yet: the full report on Ofsted’s website is always the latest.

Admission criteria at Horniman Primary School

If more children apply than there are places, the 2026 rules offer places in this order. In 2026, the last places went to children in group 5.

  1. Looked-after children and children who were previously looked after (adopted, or under a child arrangements or special guardianship order), including children adopted from state care outside England.
  2. Children with an exceptional medical or social need for this school, supported by a letter from a hospital consultant, social worker or similar professional and decided with a panel of teaching and medical professionals. Children of full-time service personnel are also given priority under this criterion.
  3. Children with a brother or sister on the school's roll on the closing date who will still be there when the child starts (not a Year 6 child moving to secondary school). Siblings must live at the same address.
  4. Children of staff employed at the school for two or more years when the application is made, or recruited to a post with a demonstrable skill shortage.
  5. Other children, nearest first: a straight line from a point in the home to a central point in the school premises, measured by Lewisham Council's mapping software. In a block of flats the lowest door number comes first; otherwise equal cases are settled by drawing lots.

Questions about Horniman Primary School

How far away do you need to live to get into Horniman Primary School?

In 2026, the last place offered under the distance criterion went to a child living 0.29 miles away. In the five years with a distance cut-off (2022 to 2026), it ranged from 0.27 miles (2023) to 0.44 miles (2024). Cut-offs move each year with the number of applicants and siblings, so treat these as a guide to past years, not a promise.

Do siblings get priority at Horniman Primary School?

Yes. Under the 2026 admission rules, children with a brother or sister at the school come third in the order of priority, after looked-after and previously looked-after children and children with a medical or social need. In 2026, 15 of the 30 places went to siblings. Check the school’s admission arrangements for who counts as a sibling.

How many applications does Horniman Primary School get?

In 2026, Horniman Primary School received 172 applications for 30 Reception places: about 5.7 applications for each place, counting all six preferences. Between 2022 and 2026, applications ranged from 132 to 186 a year. Families name several schools, so one child can count as an application at more than one school.

What are my chances of getting into Horniman Primary School?

It depends mostly on how far away you live, unless you have a sibling at Horniman Primary School or another priority. For a family applying on distance: living within 0.27 miles would have got a place in all five years we have figures for, and living more than 0.44 miles away, in none of them. This is what happened in past years, not a promise. Our Shortlist replays your own address against each year.

Is Horniman Primary School oversubscribed?

Yes, in 2026 places ran out: the last place under the distance criterion went to a child living 0.29 miles away. It had 172 applications for 30 places, counting every preference families named.

Is Horniman Primary School’s catchment getting smaller?

Horniman Primary School has no fixed catchment area: places on distance go to the families living closest, so the cut-off moves each year. The distance cut-off shrank from 0.33 miles in 2025 to 0.29 miles in 2026. It depends on how many families apply and how many places go to siblings, so one year’s change doesn’t say what happens next.

What was Horniman Primary School’s latest Ofsted inspection result?

At an ungraded inspection that ended on 7 December 2023, Ofsted found that Horniman Primary School remains Good. From Ofsted’s data as at 30 September 2026. The full report is on Ofsted’s website.

When do you apply to Horniman Primary School for a Reception place in September 2027?

Apply by 15 January 2027 for a Reception place starting in September 2027. Apply to the council where you live, even if it isn’t Lewisham Council, naming up to six schools in your true order of preference. Offers are made on 16 April 2027.

Schools near Horniman Primary School

Straight-line distance between the schools. Last distance offered in 2026, with the five-year trend.

Sources

Last updated

8 documents from Lewisham Council and Ofsted behind this page
  1. 2026 application and appeal rates for Lewisham community schools (Grid for Reception 2026: how places were allocated on 16 April 2026) (archived copy)Lewisham Council · 2026 allocation figures · p. 1, pp. 1-2 · retrieved 5 November 2026
  2. 2025 application and appeal rates for Lewisham community schools (Grid for Reception 2025: how places were allocated on 16 April 2025). No longer on the council's site (404); copy taken from the Wayback Machine (archived copy)Lewisham Council · 2025 allocation figures · p. 1, pp. 1-2 · retrieved 5 November 2026
  3. 2024 application and appeal rates for Lewisham community schools (Grid for Reception 2024: how places were allocated on 16 April 2024). No longer on the council's site (404); copy taken from the Wayback Machine (archived copy)Lewisham Council · 2024 allocation figures · p. 1, pp. 1-2 · retrieved 5 November 2026
  4. 2023 application and appeal rates for Lewisham community schools (Grid for Reception 2023: how places were allocated on 17 April 2023). No longer on the council's site (404); copy taken from the Wayback Machine (archived copy)Lewisham Council · 2023 allocation figures · p. 1, pp. 1-2 · retrieved 5 November 2026
  5. Applying to start primary school in 2023 (Lewisham Council): "Last year's application and appeals rates", how places were allocated on 19 April 2022 under each admissions criterion at Lewisham's community schools (archived copy)Lewisham Council · 2022 allocation figures · p. 9, pp. 8-9 · retrieved 5 November 2026
  6. Admission arrangements 2026/27 for the London Borough of Lewisham's community schools (determined) (archived copy)Lewisham Council · 2026 admission criteria · section 6 (pp. 3-4) · retrieved 5 November 2026
  7. Admission arrangements 2027/28 for the London Borough of Lewisham's community schools (determined): criteria, "Fifth criterion: distance" and Appendix A admission numbersLewisham Council · Admission arrangements; How the council measures distance · section 6 (pp. 4-7), Appendix A (p. 20) · retrieved 5 November 2026
  8. Management information - state-funded schools - latest inspections as at 30 Sep 2026 (Ofsted, published 16 October 2026) (archived copy)Ofsted · Latest Ofsted inspection · retrieved 5 November 2026

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