Bath and North East Somerset School Catchment Areas

Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) is a unitary authority covering Bath city and the surrounding rural district, with 93 state schools – 63 primary and 14 secondary – across seven main areas including Bath, Keynsham, Midsomer Norton, and Radstock. The academy sector is dominant: 69 of the 93 schools hold academy status.

Faith schools are a significant part of the landscape, with 39 schools applying religious criteria as part of their admissions policies. Fourteen of the 86 schools with published capacity data are currently at or above their admission number, placing moderate overall pressure on places – though demand is uneven, with schools in Bath itself typically more competitive than those in the rural south of the authority.

Catchment boundaries in BANES are set by the council for community schools and by individual trusts for academies. The council publishes its composite admissions prospectus each September, covering all schools in the authority. Of the schools with a current Ofsted inspection, 39 are rated Good or Outstanding. Families should confirm both the catchment boundary and the applicable oversubscription criteria with the admitting body before the January application deadline.