The hardest schools to get into in Merton
Secondary: 254 families put Ursuline High School Wimbledon first in 2026 and 166 of them (65%) were offered a place.
Reception: 74 families put Merton Park Primary School first in 2026 and 29 of them (39%) were offered a place.
Every state school in Merton 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 Merton's admissions booklet.
Secondary schools (Year 7)
| # | School | Put it first | Of them, offered | Places | Last distance offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ursuline High School Wimbledon · London · faith | 254 | 166 (65%) | 206 | - |
| 2 | Wimbledon College · London · faith | 188 | 137 (73%) | 194 | - |
| 3 | Harris Academy Wimbledon · London | 164 | 130 (79%) | 190 | - |
| 4 | Ricards Lodge High School · London | 193 | 159 (82%) | 266 | 3,801m |
| 5 | Rutlish School · London | 195 | 167 (86%) | 260 | 3,503m |
| 6 | Harris Academy Merton · Mitcham | 220 | 191 (87%) | 236 | - |
| 7 | Harris Academy Morden · Morden | 114 | 113 (99%) | 184 | - |
| 8 | St Mark's Church of England Academy · Mitcham · faith | 101 | 101 (100%) | 172 | - |
| 9 | Raynes Park High School · London | 88 | 88 (100%) | 205 | - |
Primary schools (Reception)
| # | School | Put it first | Of them, offered | Places | Last distance offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merton Park Primary School · London | 74 | 29 (39%) | 30 | - |
| 2 | Bishop Gilpin CofE Primary School · Wimbledon · faith | 115 | 60 (52%) | 60 | - |
| 3 | Hollymount School · London | 92 | 57 (62%) | 60 | - |
| 4 | Park Academy · London | 32 | 21 (66%) | 30 | - |
| 5 | Wimbledon Park Primary School · London | 134 | 89 (66%) | 90 | - |
| 6 | Holy Trinity CofE Primary School · London · faith | 76 | 57 (75%) | 60 | - |
| 7 | Dundonald Primary School · London | 64 | 49 (77%) | 60 | - |
| 8 | Malmesbury Primary School · Morden | 36 | 28 (78%) | 30 | - |
| 9 | St Mark's Primary School · Mitcham | 37 | 29 (78%) | 29 | - |
| 10 | Harris Primary Academy Merton · Mitcham | 66 | 56 (85%) | 60 | - |
| 11 | Wimbledon Chase Primary School · London | 78 | 68 (87%) | 89 | - |
| 12 | Poplar Primary School · London | 50 | 45 (90%) | 59 | - |
| 13 | St Mary's Catholic Primary School · London · faith | 48 | 44 (92%) | 58 | - |
| 14 | St Matthew's CofE Primary School · London · faith | 22 | 21 (96%) | 30 | - |
| 15 | Pelham Primary School · London | 46 | 45 (98%) | 59 | - |
| 16 | Singlegate Primary School · London | 87 | 87 (100%) | 90 | - |
| 17 | Aragon Primary School · Morden | 80 | 80 (100%) | 86 | - |
| 18 | Hillcross Primary School · Morden | 49 | 49 (100%) | 59 | - |
| 19 | St Teresa's Catholic Primary School · Morden · faith | 48 | 48 (100%) | 56 | - |
| 20 | Gorringe Park Primary School · Mitcham | 47 | 47 (100%) | 49 | - |
| 21 | Liberty Primary · Mitcham | 44 | 44 (100%) | 46 | - |
| 22 | St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School · Mitcham · faith | 43 | 43 (100%) | 46 | - |
| 23 | St John Fisher RC Primary School · London · faith | 41 | 41 (100%) | 49 | - |
| 24 | Garfield Primary School · Wimbledon | 41 | 41 (100%) | 59 | - |
| 25 | Cranmer Primary School · Mitcham | 40 | 40 (100%) | 45 | - |
| 26 | Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School · New Malden · faith | 37 | 37 (100%) | 44 | - |
| 27 | Abbotsbury Primary School · Morden | 29 | 29 (100%) | 32 | - |
| 28 | Morden Primary School · Morden | 28 | 28 (100%) | 29 | - |
| 29 | St Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School · MITCHAM · faith | 27 | 27 (100%) | 29 | - |
| 30 | All Saints' CofE Primary School · London · faith | 27 | 27 (100%) | 28 | - |
| 31 | Benedict Academy · Mitcham | 26 | 26 (100%) | 28 | - |
| 32 | West Wimbledon Primary School · London | 26 | 26 (100%) | 30 | - |
| 33 | Links Primary School · London | 26 | 26 (100%) | 30 | - |
| 34 | William Morris Primary School · Mitcham | 25 | 25 (100%) | 28 | - |
| 35 | Haslemere Primary School · Mitcham | 24 | 24 (100%) | 27 | - |
| 36 | Merton Abbey Primary School · London | 24 | 24 (100%) | 30 | - |
| 37 | Lonesome Primary School · Mitcham | 21 | 21 (100%) | 22 | - |
Getting into a school in Merton
What is the hardest school to get into in Merton?
For secondary places, 254 families put Ursuline High School Wimbledon first in 2026 and 166 of them (65%) were offered a place. For Reception, 74 families put Merton Park Primary School first and 29 of them (39%) were offered a place.
How many families in Merton get their first-choice school?
67.4% of families applying for a secondary place got their first preference, and 86.4% 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 Merton published it in its admissions booklet.