How to find your grammar school catchment or priority area map

Start with the grammar school’s published admission arrangements and the council or school map linked from them. There is no single map that reliably determines admission priority for every English grammar school. Some schools define areas by a drawn boundary, others use postcodes or a radius, and some have no catchment at all.

A six-step route to the official answer

1. 1Find the school’s official Year 7 admissions page. Check the full school name and location; similarly named schools can have different rules.
2. 2Open its determined admission policy for the intended entry year. A consultation or an earlier policy is not confirmation of the final future rules.
3. 3Search the policy for “catchment”, “priority area”, “designated area”, “postcode”, “distance” and any map appendix.
4. 4Follow the official map or address-lookup link. Read its legend, version and measurement notes before entering your address.
5. 5Compare the map result with the oversubscription criteria. Identify which category the area gives your child, if any.
6. 6If the address is near a boundary or the map and policy appear inconsistent, ask the admission authority for written clarification before relying on the result.

Official places to start

These are navigation examples, not an assessment of your address. This guide has not tested an individual property on those maps. A third-party tool can help you discover possible schools, but the school’s admission authority is the source for an application decision.

Know what the map is actually showing

“Priority area” and “catchment” are not nationally standard labels for two fixed levels of advantage. What matters is the effect assigned to the area in the policy. Missing information on a commercial map also does not prove that a school has no catchment.

What to do at a boundary

A broad postcode search may not settle an address on the edge. New properties, flats and roads crossing a boundary can require a precise address check. Keep the full address, map link, entry year and a screenshot of the result, then ask admissions which published rule applies. A screenshot helps explain the query; it does not override the policy.

For a possible move, ask about both location and timing. Being geographically inside the area may not confer priority if the home-address or residence rule has not been met by the relevant date.

Keep one record for each school

• School and intended entry year.
• Determined policy URL and publication/version date.
• Official map or postcode-list URL and the version shown.
• Full address checked and the result, including any uncertainty.
• Priority category that the result supports.
• Address qualifying date, evidence requirements and any written clarification received.

Repeat this separately for each school on your shortlist: one map may not cover neighbouring schools. Then read how important catchment is to interpret the result, or how far away you can live if you have found an allocation-distance figure rather than a formal boundary.