Schools & catchments
Academies and free schools: do they have catchment areas?
4 min read · Updated June 2026
More than half of state-funded schools in England are now academies or free schools. Unlike traditional local authority schools, they set their own admissions criteria — which means their relationship to geography and catchment areas varies significantly. Understanding the type of school matters before assuming proximity translates into access.
What academies and free schools are
Academies are state-funded schools that operate independently of the local authority. They're funded directly by the government and have greater freedoms over curriculum, staffing, and admissions. Most were converted from existing local authority schools; some were newly established.
Free schools are a type of academy established from scratch, typically by groups of parents, teachers, or organisations. They're funded the same way as academies but were created to meet demand in areas where existing provision was judged insufficient.
Both types must follow the School Admissions Code — the same legal framework that governs all state schools — but they have more flexibility in how they set their specific criteria within that framework.
The range of admissions criteria used
Distance-based (most common)
The majority of academies and free schools use straight-line distance as their geographic tiebreaker, working the same way as most local authority schools. Being closer improves — but doesn't guarantee — your chance of a place. The “last distance offered” figure is the relevant number to check.
Faith criteria
Church academies and faith free schools may give priority to children of a specific religion or regular church attendance. Up to 100% of places can be allocated on faith criteria at faith academies. Proximity may be irrelevant if your child doesn't meet the faith criteria.
Defined priority areas
Some academies define a specific catchment area or priority zone — similar to a local authority school's fixed boundary. Being inside the zone gives priority; being outside it puts you in a lower priority band.
Lottery (random allocation)
A small number of free schools use random allocation (lottery) after looked-after children and siblings. In these cases, proximity gives no advantage at all — geography is irrelevant to admission. Living next door to a lottery-admissions school is worth no premium for access purposes.
Aptitude criteria
Some academies — particularly those with specialist status in performing arts, sport, or technology — may select up to 10% of their intake on aptitude. This partial selection doesn't create a full grammar school, but it does mean a proportion of places go to children who audition or are assessed, regardless of geography.
How to find out which criteria apply
Every academy and free school is required to publish its admissions policy. Find it:
- On the school's own website under “Admissions”
- Via GOV.UK school finder at find.education.gov.uk
- In the local authority's composite prospectus — even for academies that aren't local authority schools, the LA must include their admissions criteria in the prospectus
Look specifically for: how places are allocated after looked-after children and siblings; whether distance, a defined area, faith criteria, or lottery is used; and what the last offered distance was (if distance-based).
Why this matters when buying near an academy
If the academy nearest to a property uses lottery admissions, the “school premium” in the price reflects aspiration rather than access. You may be paying for a school whose admissions system gives you no geographic advantage.
If it uses faith criteria, proximity is only relevant if you meet the faith requirements. And if it uses distance, the same last-offered-distance analysis applies as for any other school.
Search any address on movegrid to see nearby schools and their type. Then go directly to the admissions policy to understand which criteria actually apply.
The short version
- Most academies use distance — but not all. Always check the admissions policy, not just proximity
- Faith academies may give priority to churchgoers over closer non-churchgoing families
- Lottery-admissions schools give geography no weight — living nearby is worth nothing for access
- Some academies have defined priority zones — similar to local authority catchment boundaries
- The admissions policy is published and legally required — it takes five minutes to find and read
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