Penbridge Infant School admissions: your chances of a place
How many families wanted a place, how many there were, how far the last place went, and how it compares with the schools around it.
Places available for 2026 entry
Fewer families put Penbridge Infant School first (40) than there were places (46) for 2026 entry, but 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there. Demand can change from year to year.
Places offered
46
First choices
40
First choices per place
0.9
Last distance offered
Not published
Will you get a place at Penbridge Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Penbridge Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Penbridge Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Penbridge Infant School.
- Portsmouth publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Penbridge Infant School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Penbridge Infant School for 2019 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Portsmouth got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Demand in detail
For September 2026 entry, 40 families put Penbridge Infant School as their first choice and 98 named it as one of their preferences, for 46 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Demand has been fairly steady: 44 first choices in 2021, against 40 in 2026.
Across Portsmouth, 93% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Portsmouth lodged 51 appeals against primary school offers; 30 reached a hearing and 4 succeeded (13.3% of those heard).
First choices and places at Penbridge Infant School, 2019 to 2026
First choices have not clearly exceeded places in the years we hold.
- 2019
- 4968
- 2020
- 5264
- 2021
- 4445
- 2022
- 6064
- 2023
- 4648
- 2024
- 5260
- 2025
- 4754
- 2026
- 4046
Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers
Applications and offers by year
| Entry year | Places offered | First choices | Named at all | First choices per place | First choices not offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 46 | 40 | 98 | 0.9 | 1 |
| 2025 | 54 | 47 | 108 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2024 | 60 | 52 | 107 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2023 | 48 | 46 | 82 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 64 | 60 | 93 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2021 | 45 | 44 | 79 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 64 | 52 | 119 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2019 | 68 | 49 | 119 | 0.7 | 0 |
Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school-level file). "Places offered" is the number of offers made on national offer day, which can differ from the school's published admission number.
How hard the nearest schools are to get into
Councils in England let families name between three and six schools. A realistic back-up is a nearby school with spare places.
| School | Distance | Places | First choices per place | Last distance offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School | 0.4 miles | 30 | 1.6 (2026) | - |
| Arundel Court Primary Academy and Nursery | 0.4 miles | 74 | 0.9 (2026) | - |
| Ark Ayrton Primary Academy | 0.4 miles | 58 | 0.9 (2026) | - |
| Devonshire Infant School | 0.4 miles | 47 | 0.9 (2026) | - |
| Bramble Infant School and Nursery | 0.5 miles | 38 | 0.9 (2026) | - |
Straight-line distance from Penbridge Infant School. Below 1.0 means fewer first choices than places.
Who gets priority
Penbridge Infant School is its own admission authority: the school (or its trust) sets its admissions policy and oversubscription criteria, and publishes them on its website. You still apply through Portsmouth.
In England, a child whose education, health and care plan names the school is admitted first. Then, when there are more applicants than places, looked-after and previously looked-after children come first, followed by the school's own criteria, which usually include siblings and distance from home.
Joining during the school year
Penbridge Infant School has 207 pupils for 238 places. That leaves room across the school, so places outside the normal entry year may come up. Moving mid-year? Apply through Portsmouth's in-year admissions process or, for some schools, directly to the school.
How and when to apply
Primary school (Reception) applications for September 2027 close in 80 days, on Friday 15 January 2027. Apply through Portsmouth; offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Name the schools in your true order of preference: ranking a school first does not reduce your chances anywhere else. See Portsmouth admissions dates and figures.
Questions about getting into Penbridge Infant School
Will I get a place at Penbridge Infant School?
Fewer families put Penbridge Infant School first (40) than there were places (46) for 2026 entry, but 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there. Demand can change from year to year.
Is Penbridge Infant School oversubscribed?
Not in the 8 years we hold (2019 to 2026): first choices never clearly exceeded the places offered.
How far away does Penbridge Infant School offer places?
We don't hold a published cut-off distance for Penbridge Infant School. Ask Portsmouth or the school whether they publish one; councils that do usually include it in their admissions booklet.
What can I do if I don't get a place at Penbridge Infant School?
Accept the offer you do get, so your child has a school, then ask to go on Penbridge Infant School's waiting list and consider an appeal. In 2026, families in Portsmouth lodged 51 appeals against primary school offers; 30 reached a hearing and 4 succeeded (13.3% of those heard). Waiting lists move over the summer as families accept other places or move away.