The last distance offered is how far from the school the last child lived who was given a place on distance. If it was 1.2 miles last year, children who applied and lived closer than 1.2 miles were offered a place there, or at a school they ranked higher.
Why it matters
When a school has more applicants than places, it gives places to priority groups first, such as children in care and brothers and sisters of current pupils. Any places left go to the children who live closest. The last distance offered tells you how far that went last year.
A simple example
This example is made up. A school has 30 Reception places. Brothers and sisters of current pupils take 12. The other 18 go to the children who live closest. The 18th of those lives 0.80 miles away. So the school's last distance offered is 0.80 miles.
What it can and can't tell you
- It is a guide, not a promise. The distance changes every year with the number of children applying, the number of brothers and sisters, and new housing.
- Priority groups come first. A child living further away can still get a place as a brother or sister, or under a school's faith or catchment rules.
- No distance can be good news. If a school had places left over, every child who applied got in, so there is no last distance to show.
- Some schools don't use distance. Grammar schools use the 11+ test, and some church schools use faith criteria.
How to use it
- Work out your straight-line distance to the school. Map apps can measure “as the crow flies”, but the council's own measurement is the one that counts.
- Compare it with the last distance offered. If you are well inside it, your chances on distance alone were good last year. If you are near or beyond it, treat it as uncertain.
- Use your other choices for at least one school where you have a good chance of a place.
Where our figures come from
Every Gloucestershire school page on ClearSchools shows the last distance offered for September 2026 entry, from Gloucestershire County Council's allocation day figures. Last year, 94 primary, infant and junior schools and 24 secondary schools gave their last places by distance. The council's allocation day figures.
Questions parents ask
Is the last distance offered the same as a catchment area?
No. A catchment area is a fixed area drawn by a school. The last distance offered is a result: it changes every year, depending on how many children apply and who they are.
If I live inside last year's distance, will I get a place?
Not for certain. The distance moves every year. More applicants, more brothers and sisters of current pupils, or new housing nearby can all make it shorter.
Why do some schools have no last distance offered?
Either the school had room for everyone who applied, so distance never decided who got in, or it gives places by other rules, such as faith or the 11+ test.
How is distance measured in Gloucestershire?
For schools where the council sets the rules, it is a straight line from your home's Ordnance Survey address point to the school's, measured by the council's computer system. Schools that set their own rules say how they measure it in their admissions policy.
Next: how school admissions work in Gloucestershire · find a school in Gloucestershire.