The hardest schools to get into in Brent
Secondary: 286 families put Michaela Community School first in 2026 and 88 of them (31%) were offered a place.
Reception: 124 families put Ark Academy first in 2026 and 53 of them (43%) were offered a place.
Every state school in Brent with at least 20 first-choice applicants, hardest first. Of the families who put the school first on their application, the share who were offered a place there. Data: Department for Education; last distance offered from Brent's admissions booklet.
Secondary schools (Year 7)
| # | School | Put it first | Of them, offered | Places | Last distance offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michaela Community School · London | 286 | 88 (31%) | 112 | 4,818m |
| 2 | Ark Academy · Wembley | 173 | 93 (54%) | 131 | - |
| 3 | Wembley High Technology College · North Wembley | 364 | 215 (59%) | 230 | 325m |
| 4 | Claremont High School · Harrow | 341 | 227 (67%) | 260 | 63,004m |
| 5 | JFS · Harrow · faith | 415 | 292 (70%) | 338 | 25,202m |
| 6 | North Brent School · London | 208 | 147 (71%) | 210 | 814m |
| 7 | Queens Park Community School · London | 209 | 162 (78%) | 212 | 2,647m |
| 8 | St Gregory's Catholic Science College · Harrow · faith | 205 | 170 (83%) | 190 | 9,510m |
| 9 | Ark Elvin Academy · London | 160 | 141 (88%) | 205 | 4,895m |
| 10 | Alperton Community School · Wembley | 287 | 266 (93%) | 321 | 1,585m |
| 11 | Kingsbury High School · London | 215 | 215 (100%) | 330 | - |
| 12 | Harris Lowe Academy Willesden · London | 79 | 79 (100%) | 158 | 10,758m |
| 13 | Preston Manor School · Wembley | 75 | 75 (100%) | 180 | 2,449m |
| 14 | Saint Claudine's Catholic School for Girls · London · faith | 53 | 53 (100%) | 97 | 1,428m |
| 15 | E-ACT Crest Academy · London | 51 | 51 (100%) | 106 | 17,611m |
| 16 | Newman Catholic College · London · faith | 26 | 26 (100%) | 62 | 4,790m |
Primary schools (Reception)
| # | School | Put it first | Of them, offered | Places | Last distance offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ark Academy · Wembley | 124 | 53 (43%) | 58 | - |
| 2 | Islamia Primary School · London · faith | 111 | 60 (54%) | 60 | - |
| 3 | Ark Franklin Primary Academy · London | 143 | 86 (60%) | 90 | 672m |
| 4 | East Lane Primary School · Wembley | 162 | 115 (71%) | 118 | 1,294m |
| 5 | Salusbury Primary School · London | 101 | 79 (78%) | 90 | - |
| 6 | St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School · London · faith | 72 | 57 (79%) | 59 | 4,287m |
| 7 | Princess Frederica CofE Primary School · London · faith | 63 | 50 (79%) | 60 | - |
| 8 | Our Lady of Grace RC Infant and Nursery School · London · faith | 69 | 59 (86%) | 60 | 32,026m |
| 9 | North West London Jewish Day School · London · faith | 24 | 21 (88%) | 30 | - |
| 10 | Malorees Primary School · London | 50 | 44 (88%) | 60 | 5,439m |
| 11 | Mitchell Brook Primary School · London | 62 | 56 (90%) | 60 | - |
| 12 | Avigdor Hirsch Torah Temimah Primary School · London · faith | 26 | 24 (92%) | 25 | - |
| 13 | Sinai Jewish Primary School · Harrow · faith | 87 | 82 (94%) | 89 | - |
| 14 | Uxendon Manor Primary School · Harrow | 87 | 83 (95%) | 87 | - |
| 15 | St Joseph's Catholic Infant School · Wembley · faith | 70 | 67 (96%) | 70 | - |
| 16 | Oliver Goldsmith Primary School · London | 55 | 53 (96%) | 60 | 2,278m |
| 17 | Park Lane Primary School · Wembley | 51 | 50 (98%) | 59 | 4,790m |
| 18 | Roe Green Infant School · London | 110 | 109 (99%) | 119 | 3,825m |
| 19 | Barham Primary School · Wembley | 105 | 105 (100%) | 111 | 1,245m |
| 20 | Sudbury Primary School · Wembley | 103 | 103 (100%) | 115 | - |
| 21 | Lyon Park Primary School · Wembley | 95 | 95 (100%) | 98 | 6,290m |
| 22 | Wembley Primary School · Wembley | 76 | 76 (100%) | 116 | 13,082m |
| 23 | Oakington Manor Primary School · Wembley | 75 | 75 (100%) | 81 | 6,985m |
| 24 | Mount Stewart Infant School · Harrow | 71 | 71 (100%) | 78 | - |
| 25 | Braintcroft E-ACT Primary Academy · London | 59 | 59 (100%) | 63 | - |
| 26 | St Robert Southwell Catholic Primary School · London · faith | 56 | 56 (100%) | 60 | - |
| 27 | Preston Park Primary School · Wembley | 52 | 52 (100%) | 62 | 4,229m |
| 28 | Elsley Primary School · Wembley | 50 | 50 (100%) | 56 | - |
| 29 | Wykeham Primary School · London | 49 | 49 (100%) | 54 | 3,038m |
| 30 | Convent of Jesus and Mary RC Infant School · London · faith | 48 | 48 (100%) | 58 | - |
| 31 | Anson Primary School · London | 47 | 47 (100%) | 55 | 5,180m |
| 32 | Leopold Primary School · Roundwood | 43 | 43 (100%) | 47 | 3,716m |
| 33 | St Andrew and St Francis CofE Primary School · London · faith | 43 | 43 (100%) | 46 | - |
| 34 | Gladstone Park Primary School · London | 42 | 42 (100%) | 49 | - |
| 35 | Mora Primary School · London | 41 | 41 (100%) | 51 | 4,602m |
| 36 | John Keble CofE Primary School · London · faith | 41 | 41 (100%) | 54 | 6,290m |
| 37 | Harris Primary Academy South Kenton · Wembley | 40 | 40 (100%) | 40 | 6,670m |
| 38 | Fryent Primary School · London | 36 | 36 (100%) | 39 | 3,403m |
| 39 | Kingsbury Green Primary School · London | 35 | 35 (100%) | 43 | 6,326m |
| 40 | Preston Manor School · Wembley | 31 | 31 (100%) | 49 | 2,449m |
| 41 | Chalkhill Primary School · Wembley | 30 | 30 (100%) | 37 | - |
| 42 | Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School · London · faith | 28 | 28 (100%) | 30 | - |
| 43 | Harlesden Primary School · London | 27 | 27 (100%) | 30 | 3,414m |
| 44 | Northview Junior and Infant School · London | 27 | 27 (100%) | 30 | - |
| 45 | Brentfield Primary School · London | 26 | 26 (100%) | 30 | - |
| 46 | St Margaret Clitherow RC Primary School · London · faith | 26 | 26 (100%) | 27 | - |
| 47 | Newfield Primary School · London | 24 | 24 (100%) | 24 | 2,940m |
| 48 | Furness Primary School · London | 22 | 22 (100%) | 28 | 3,108m |
| 49 | Donnington Primary School · London | 21 | 21 (100%) | 28 | 1,304m |
Getting into a school in Brent
What is the hardest school to get into in Brent?
For secondary places, 286 families put Michaela Community School first in 2026 and 88 of them (31%) were offered a place. For Reception, 124 families put Ark Academy first and 53 of them (43%) were offered a place.
How many families in Brent get their first-choice school?
70.4% of families applying for a secondary place got their first preference, and 88.5% of those applying for Reception did (offers for September 2026).
Does putting a school first improve our chances?
Not at the other schools you name. Councils in England use an equal-preference system: every school you list is considered against its own admissions criteria, and if more than one could offer a place you get the one you ranked highest. So list schools in your genuine order of preference, and include at least one you are very likely to get.
What does "last distance offered" mean?
For schools that give places by distance, it is how far from the school the last child offered a place under that criterion lived. It changes every year with the number and location of applicants, so treat it as a guide, not a guarantee. We show it where Brent published it in its admissions booklet.