Calculator

Find Schools Near a Postcode

Find schools within a chosen radius of any UK postcode, ranked by straight-line distance. Uses the official DfE register for England, with OpenStreetMap as a fallback — a starting point to verify with official sources.

How this works

Enter a UK postcode and radius to find schools nearby. Postcodes are resolved with postcodes.io. School locations come from the official DfE register for England where available, otherwise live from OpenStreetMap. The result tells you which source it used. Distances are straight-line — always verify a school's details and admissions with the school and local authority.

Distance never guarantees a place

This tool shows straight-line distance to school locations — never an admissions decision. Schools and local authorities set their own criteria, which often rank siblings, faith and catchment above distance. Always confirm the current policy and the school's details with the school and local authority. See our UK school data sources.

How we calculate this

The postcode is converted to coordinates via postcodes.io. Schools then come from the official DfE register for England (served from our own API), or, where that is unavailable, live from OpenStreetMap. Either way, results are filtered to your radius with straight-line (Haversine) distance and sorted nearest-first.

Neither source is an admissions register, so a school's details and admissions must always be confirmed with the school and local authority. See UK school data sources.

How to find schools near a postcode

Start from the postcode that matters most — usually a current or prospective home, or a workplace — and choose how far you are willing to travel. A 1–3 mile radius suits primary schools, where many families want a short walk, while 5–10 miles is more realistic for secondary schools and selective options. From there, shortlist specific schools and check each one against its official admissions policy.

Real data, with honest limits

For England, the schools shown come from the official DfE register — real establishments, not invented entries. Where the official register is not available, the tool falls back to OpenStreetMap, which is crowd-sourced and can be incomplete. Neither source is an admissions register, so use the results to build a shortlist quickly, then confirm each school with the School Distance Calculator and the official sources before relying on anything.

Frequently asked questions

Where does the school data come from?

For England, school locations come from the official Department for Education 'Get Information about Schools' register. Where that is unavailable, the tool falls back to live OpenStreetMap data. The results note which source was used. Neither is an admissions register, so always verify with the school and local authority.

How accurate are the distances?

Distances are straight-line ('as the crow flies') between the postcode and each school's location, so they are shorter than the real walking or driving route. Use them to shortlist, then check the actual route.

Will being within the radius mean my child gets a place?

No. Distance is only one admissions factor and is often a tie-breaker behind siblings, faith and catchment rules. A radius search helps you plan; it never decides or predicts a place.

A school I know is missing — why?

The official register covers England; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use other sources, where the tool relies on OpenStreetMap and coverage can vary. Treat the list as a starting point, not a complete register, and verify against official sources.