Check your home to school distance

Find out how home to school distance is measured and check the distance from your home to schools.

About home to school distance

If more children apply than there are places available at an Infant, Junior or Primary school, home to school distance is used to decide which children get offered a place first.

Home to school distance is the shortest route from your child’s main home address to the nearest gate of a school.

Main address is usually where your child is registered with a doctor.

How the distance is calculated

Home to school distance is measured by computer software that uses Ordnance Survey road network data, and some footpaths which are paved, lit and public rights of way.

Footpaths across public parks or open spaces are not included in the system data.

The software measures the distance from an address point in the property to the nearest point on the road network, then down the middle of each road to the nearest of the school’s gates.

If two children live the same distance from a school and only one place is available, the place will be offered randomly to one of the children. 

Children who live on boats or traveller sites

If there is no Ordnance Survey or postal address data for the home, home to school distance will be measured from the marina or the traveller site to the nearest gate at a school.

How to add a footpath

To check which footpaths are included or to ask if we can add a paved and lit footpath to the data, send an email to schooladmissions@brighton-hove.gov.uk before the deadline to apply for a school place.

More information

View our school application guides for more information.