Secondary school admission appeals heard by council, England
Admission appeals for secondary school places heard by an appeals panel, as a share of new secondary admissions, for each local authority in England as the Department for Education publishes them, with its regions and England, in the latest two reporting years, from the Department for Education's accredited admission appeals statistics.
England
3.6%
2026
Latest check failed – showing figures verified against source 7 November 2026, 06:54 UTC- 2026
- 2025
Source: Department for Education. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence.
In order
Ranked by the hub 2026
Every place, the highest figure first. The number before each is the hub's own position in the list, not the publisher's: equal figures share one, marked =.
- 1Slough14.3%
- 2Trafford12.8%
- 3Wirral10.4%
- =4Medway10.2%
- =4Wolverhampton10.2%
- 6Knowsley9.5%
- 7Bradford8.8%
- 8Liverpool8.7%
- 9Kingston upon Hull, City of8.4%
- 10Kent8.3%
- 11Stockport7.8%
- 12Walsall7.6%
- 13Nottingham7.5%
- 14Blackpool7.1%
- 15Tameside7.0%
- 16Oldham6.9%
- 17Portsmouth6.8%
- =18Leicester6.7%
- =18Sefton6.7%
- =20Buckinghamshire6.5%
- =20Telford and Wrekin6.5%
- 22Bolton6.3%
- =23Gloucestershire6.2%
- =23North Tyneside6.2%
- 25Manchester5.9%
- 26Coventry5.7%
- 27West Northamptonshire5.6%
- 28Lincolnshire5.5%
- =29Brighton and Hove5.3%
- =29Sandwell5.3%
- =29Tower Hamlets5.3%
- 32Derby5.2%
- 33Torbay5.0%
- 34South Tyneside4.7%
- =35Greenwich4.6%
- =35Southwark4.6%
- =37Leeds4.5%
- =37Luton4.5%
- =39Hartlepool4.4%
- =39Lancashire4.4%
- =41Bexley4.2%
- =41Ealing4.2%
- =41Kirklees4.2%
- =41Sutton4.2%
- =45Rotherham4.1%
- =45Southampton4.1%
- 47Middlesbrough4.0%
- =48Blackburn with Darwen3.9%
- =48Stoke-on-Trent3.9%
- =48Wigan3.9%
- =51Cambridgeshire3.8%
- =51Nottinghamshire3.8%
- =53Birmingham3.7%
- =53Doncaster3.7%
- =53Thurrock3.7%
- =53Wandsworth3.7%
- =53West Sussex3.7%
- =58Barnet3.6%
- =58Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole3.6%
- 60Bury3.5%
- =61Havering3.4%
- =61Redbridge3.4%
- =61Wakefield3.4%
- =64Brent3.3%
- =64Newcastle upon Tyne3.3%
- =64Rochdale3.3%
- =64Sheffield, its area before 1 April 20253.3%
- =68Bromley3.2%
- =68Islington3.2%
- =70Dudley3.1%
- =70East Sussex3.1%
- =70Gateshead3.1%
- =73Barnsley, its area before 1 April 20252.9%
- =73Bristol, City of2.9%
- =73Hillingdon2.9%
- =73Hounslow2.9%
- =73Milton Keynes2.9%
- =73North Northamptonshire2.9%
- =73Solihull2.9%
- =73Southend-on-Sea2.9%
- 81Hertfordshire2.8%
- =82Newham2.7%
- =82Salford2.7%
- =82Surrey2.7%
- =82Warwickshire2.7%
- 86St. Helens2.6%
- =87Kensington and Chelsea2.5%
- =87Peterborough2.5%
- =87Redcar and Cleveland2.5%
- =90Reading2.4%
- =90Windsor and Maidenhead2.4%
- =92Central Bedfordshire2.3%
- =92Enfield2.3%
- =92Hammersmith and Fulham2.3%
- =92Sunderland2.3%
- =96Oxfordshire2.2%
- =96Warrington2.2%
- =98Bedford2.1%
- =98Bracknell Forest2.1%
- =98Lambeth2.1%
- =98Wokingham2.1%
- =102Essex2.0%
- =102North Yorkshire2.0%
- =104Barking and Dagenham1.9%
- =104Darlington1.9%
- =104Hackney1.9%
- =104Hampshire1.9%
- =104Haringey1.9%
- =104Harrow1.9%
- =104Shropshire1.9%
- =104Staffordshire1.9%
- =112Halton1.8%
- =112Herefordshire, County of1.8%
- =112Merton1.8%
- =115Derbyshire1.7%
- =115Isle of Wight1.7%
- =115Leicestershire1.7%
- =115Swindon1.7%
- =119Waltham Forest1.6%
- =119West Berkshire1.6%
- =121Bath and North East Somerset1.5%
- =121Lewisham1.5%
- =121Plymouth1.5%
- =121Richmond upon Thames1.5%
- =121Somerset1.5%
- =121Westminster1.5%
- =121Worcestershire1.5%
- =128Cumberland1.4%
- =128South Gloucestershire1.4%
- =130Kingston upon Thames1.3%
- =130Suffolk1.3%
- =130Westmorland and Furness1.3%
- =130York1.3%
- 134Northumberland1.2%
- =135Cheshire West and Chester1.1%
- =135Dorset1.1%
- =135Wiltshire1.1%
- =138Calderdale1.0%
- =138County Durham1.0%
- =138North Somerset1.0%
- =141Norfolk0.9%
- =141Stockton-on-Tees0.9%
- =143Camden0.8%
- =143Croydon0.8%
- =143North Lincolnshire0.8%
- =146Cornwall0.7%
- =146North East Lincolnshire0.7%
- =148Cheshire East0.6%
- =148Devon0.6%
- 150East Riding of Yorkshire0.4%
- =151City of London0.0%
- =151Isles of Scilly0.0%
- =151Rutland0.0%
No figure published for Barnsley (given under its old code, E08000016), Sheffield (given under its old code, E08000019).
Data table
163 rows
| Area | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Slough E06000039 | 14.3% | 13.9% |
| Trafford E08000009 | 12.8% | 9.7% |
| Wirral E08000015 | 10.4% | 11.8% |
| Medway E06000035 | 10.2% | 8.4% |
| Wolverhampton E08000031 | 10.2% | 8.5% |
| Knowsley E08000011 | 9.5% | 6.6% |
| Bradford E08000032 | 8.8% | 7.0% |
| Liverpool E08000012 | 8.7% | 11.4% |
| Kingston upon Hull, City of E06000010 | 8.4% | 7.1% |
| Kent E10000016 | 8.3% | 9.5% |
| Stockport E08000007 | 7.8% | 7.7% |
| Walsall E08000030 | 7.6% | 7.8% |
| Nottingham E06000018 | 7.5% | 10.2% |
| Blackpool E06000009 | 7.1% | 6.9% |
| Tameside E08000008 | 7.0% | 6.7% |
| Oldham E08000004 | 6.9% | 6.3% |
| Portsmouth E06000044 | 6.8% | 2.6% |
| Leicester E06000016 | 6.7% | 6.3% |
| Sefton E08000014 | 6.7% | 3.7% |
| Telford and Wrekin E06000020 | 6.5% | 3.6% |
| Buckinghamshire E06000060 | 6.5% | 6.1% |
| Bolton E08000001 | 6.3% | 6.4% |
| North Tyneside E08000022 | 6.2% | 2.6% |
| Gloucestershire E10000013 | 6.2% | 5.9% |
| Manchester E08000003 | 5.9% | 4.5% |
| Coventry E08000026 | 5.7% | 6.9% |
| West Northamptonshire E06000062 | 5.6% | 5.6% |
| Lincolnshire E10000019 | 5.5% | 6.3% |
| Brighton and Hove E06000043 | 5.3% | 4.4% |
| Sandwell E08000028 | 5.3% | 6.4% |
| Tower Hamlets E09000030 | 5.3% | 3.9% |
| Derby E06000015 | 5.2% | 7.2% |
| Torbay E06000027 | 5.0% | 2.8% |
| South Tyneside E08000023 | 4.7% | 3.3% |
| Greenwich E09000011 | 4.6% | 5.2% |
| Southwark E09000028 | 4.6% | 3.8% |
| Luton E06000032 | 4.5% | 5.7% |
| Leeds E08000035 | 4.5% | 4.9% |
| Hartlepool E06000001 | 4.4% | 1.9% |
| Lancashire E10000017 | 4.4% | 6.6% |
| Kirklees E08000034 | 4.2% | 4.7% |
| Bexley E09000004 | 4.2% | 3.7% |
| Ealing E09000009 | 4.2% | 4.6% |
| Sutton E09000029 | 4.2% | 4.7% |
| Southampton E06000045 | 4.1% | 2.9% |
| Rotherham E08000018 | 4.1% | 3.4% |
| Middlesbrough E06000002 | 4.0% | 6.0% |
| Blackburn with Darwen E06000008 | 3.9% | 9.5% |
| Stoke-on-Trent E06000021 | 3.9% | 5.7% |
| Wigan E08000010 | 3.9% | 4.8% |
| Cambridgeshire E10000003 | 3.8% | 3.6% |
| Nottinghamshire E10000024 | 3.8% | 3.7% |
| Thurrock E06000034 | 3.7% | 3.0% |
| Doncaster E08000017 | 3.7% | 4.8% |
| Birmingham E08000025 | 3.7% | 4.4% |
| Wandsworth E09000032 | 3.7% | 2.7% |
| West Sussex E10000032 | 3.7% | 3.5% |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole E06000058 | 3.6% | 4.1% |
| Barnet E09000003 | 3.6% | 1.5% |
| Bury E08000002 | 3.5% | 6.6% |
| Wakefield E08000036 | 3.4% | 2.2% |
| Havering E09000016 | 3.4% | 3.6% |
| Redbridge E09000026 | 3.4% | 3.5% |
| Rochdale E08000005 | 3.3% | 3.8% |
| Sheffield E08000019 its area before 1 April 2025 | 3.3% | 1.8% |
| Newcastle upon Tyne E08000021 | 3.3% | 5.1% |
| Brent E09000005 | 3.3% | 3.0% |
| Bromley E09000006 | 3.2% | 2.0% |
| Islington E09000019 | 3.2% | 2.5% |
| Dudley E08000027 | 3.1% | 3.1% |
| Gateshead E08000037 | 3.1% | 4.6% |
| East Sussex E10000011 | 3.1% | 6.0% |
| Bristol, City of E06000023 | 2.9% | 4.0% |
| Southend-on-Sea E06000033 | 2.9% | 2.4% |
| Milton Keynes E06000042 | 2.9% | 5.0% |
| North Northamptonshire E06000061 | 2.9% | 4.3% |
| Barnsley E08000016 its area before 1 April 2025 | 2.9% | 4.2% |
| Solihull E08000029 | 2.9% | 6.0% |
| Hillingdon E09000017 | 2.9% | 1.7% |
| Hounslow E09000018 | 2.9% | 3.1% |
| Hertfordshire E10000015 | 2.8% | 2.9% |
| Salford E08000006 | 2.7% | 6.4% |
| Newham E09000025 | 2.7% | 2.5% |
| Surrey E10000030 | 2.7% | 1.9% |
| Warwickshire E10000031 | 2.7% | 4.2% |
| St. Helens E08000013 | 2.6% | 2.5% |
| Redcar and Cleveland E06000003 | 2.5% | 2.1% |
| Peterborough E06000031 | 2.5% | 1.8% |
| Kensington and Chelsea E09000020 | 2.5% | 1.6% |
| Reading E06000038 | 2.4% | 2.9% |
| Windsor and Maidenhead E06000040 | 2.4% | 1.9% |
| Central Bedfordshire E06000056 | 2.3% | 2.0% |
| Sunderland E08000024 | 2.3% | 1.3% |
| Enfield E09000010 | 2.3% | 3.0% |
| Hammersmith and Fulham E09000013 | 2.3% | 2.4% |
| Warrington E06000007 | 2.2% | 2.9% |
| Oxfordshire E10000025 | 2.2% | 1.8% |
| Bracknell Forest E06000036 | 2.1% | 1.0% |
| Wokingham E06000041 | 2.1% | 1.8% |
| Bedford E06000055 | 2.1% | 4.0% |
| Lambeth E09000022 | 2.1% | 3.0% |
| North Yorkshire E06000065 | 2.0% | 1.4% |
| Essex E10000012 | 2.0% | 3.2% |
| Darlington E06000005 | 1.9% | 2.4% |
| Shropshire E06000051 | 1.9% | 2.2% |
| Barking and Dagenham E09000002 | 1.9% | 1.6% |
| Hackney E09000012 | 1.9% | 3.6% |
| Haringey E09000014 | 1.9% | 1.9% |
| Harrow E09000015 | 1.9% | 1.9% |
| Hampshire E10000014 | 1.9% | 1.6% |
| Staffordshire E10000028 | 1.9% | 2.3% |
| Halton E06000006 | 1.8% | 7.0% |
| Herefordshire, County of E06000019 | 1.8% | 3.2% |
| Merton E09000024 | 1.8% | 2.1% |
| Swindon E06000030 | 1.7% | 1.7% |
| Isle of Wight E06000046 | 1.7% | 2.5% |
| Derbyshire E10000007 | 1.7% | 2.4% |
| Leicestershire E10000018 | 1.7% | 2.6% |
| West Berkshire E06000037 | 1.6% | 1.9% |
| Waltham Forest E09000031 | 1.6% | 3.0% |
| Bath and North East Somerset E06000022 | 1.5% | 0.7% |
| Plymouth E06000026 | 1.5% | 1.6% |
| Somerset E06000066 | 1.5% | 1.7% |
| Lewisham E09000023 | 1.5% | 2.0% |
| Richmond upon Thames E09000027 | 1.5% | 2.1% |
| Westminster E09000033 | 1.5% | 2.3% |
| Worcestershire E10000034 | 1.5% | 1.1% |
| South Gloucestershire E06000025 | 1.4% | 4.0% |
| Cumberland E06000063 | 1.4% | 1.8% |
| York E06000014 | 1.3% | 1.3% |
| Westmorland and Furness E06000064 | 1.3% | 1.6% |
| Kingston upon Thames E09000021 | 1.3% | 1.5% |
| Suffolk E10000029 | 1.3% | 1.5% |
| Northumberland E06000057 | 1.2% | 2.5% |
| Cheshire West and Chester E06000050 | 1.1% | 1.7% |
| Wiltshire E06000054 | 1.1% | 0.9% |
| Dorset E06000059 | 1.1% | 1.9% |
| North Somerset E06000024 | 1.0% | 1.1% |
| County Durham E06000047 | 1.0% | 2.4% |
| Calderdale E08000033 | 1.0% | 2.7% |
| Stockton-on-Tees E06000004 | 0.9% | 3.0% |
| Norfolk E10000020 | 0.9% | 1.7% |
| North Lincolnshire E06000013 | 0.8% | 1.7% |
| Camden E09000007 | 0.8% | 1.6% |
| Croydon E09000008 | 0.8% | 1.2% |
| North East Lincolnshire E06000012 | 0.7% | 1.4% |
| Cornwall E06000052 | 0.7% | 1.4% |
| Cheshire East E06000049 | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Devon E10000008 | 0.6% | 0.3% |
| East Riding of Yorkshire E06000011 | 0.4% | 1.1% |
| Rutland E06000017 | 0.0% | 1.7% |
| Isles of Scilly E06000053 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| City of London E09000001 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Barnsley E08000038 | given for its area before 1 April 2025, under E08000016 | given for its area before 1 April 2025, under E08000016 |
| Sheffield E08000039 | given for its area before 1 April 2025, under E08000019 | given for its area before 1 April 2025, under E08000019 |
| North East | 2.6% | 3.1% |
| North West | 5.2% | 5.9% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 3.9% | 3.7% |
| East Midlands | 4.1% | 4.8% |
| West Midlands | 3.8% | 4.3% |
| East of England | 2.3% | 2.7% |
| London | 2.9% | 2.8% |
| South East | 4.8% | 4.7% |
| South West | 2.2% | 2.5% |
| England | 3.6% | 3.9% |
Map
2026 · 130 areas, each shaded by the fifth of the areas its figure falls in
- 0.0% to 1.5%
- 1.5% to 2.4%
- 2.4% to 3.6%
- 3.6% to 5.3%
- 5.3% to 14.3%
Boundaries: Council boundaries, May 2026, from the geography spine. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
Source and licence
- Publisher
- Department for Education
- Check it yourself
- https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/admission-appeals-in-england
- Licence
- Open Government Licence – Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence.
- Retrieved
- 7 November 2026, 06:48 UTC
- Raw files fetched
- https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/admission-appeals-in-england/2026SHA-256 0e5a044d255ed11077bd1e2866c29efc02176edcb8a0e14a2745751ef172fb4c · 556 bytes
- https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/data-set-files?publicationId=123461ab-50be-45d9-8523-c5241a2c9c5b&latestOnly=true&pageSize=40SHA-256 c5d87982fde1a979a602efcf6108423de076654ca51168824c62bcf73de710f7 · 3,858 bytes
- https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/data-set-files/0ec5e766-b9e8-404a-b932-580409f550f2SHA-256 7d7c20c5f016659070b690183f9c47db6f7d24c9845455959d1e3ebd9cb9b1e7 · 3,176 bytes
- https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/releases/e4b1eee9-ea7a-49a8-4d8d-08dedb56fa9e/files?fileIds=4bdf360e-4dbf-499a-d24f-08dee2754f5eSHA-256 64f5f5069aa2f9818896af898aacd0ac8e81a673f2512833ec7677d5acea5cff · 142,707 bytes
- https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/releases/e4b1eee9-ea7a-49a8-4d8d-08dedb56fa9e/files?fileIds=b47fca01-6523-4ac8-d253-08dee2754f5eSHA-256 c97ac1912d42148be24f3c3c3e041af1e5f984bb0fc4944d9cb7993bee14582e · 9,857 bytes
- https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/admission-appeals-in-englandSHA-256 c81cc3224d4dbc1c49f8fdbfaaef7d2a64b5caa556b3a095052e43026b43db9e · 22,910 bytes
- https://www.gov.uk/api/search.json?filter_format=statistics_announcement&filter_organisations=department-for-education&count=1500&fields=title,release_timestamp,statistics_announcement_state,link,display_type,public_timestampSHA-256 234cc2570146f5481e17f33027a07a22e17285d4dc2d83aed3ebd3691dce90f7 · 110,765 bytes
- receipts.json, made by the hub and not fetched: its receipt for each file it fetchedSHA-256 efb685a0aac163168dfc5148f5040310c499bf8753d2d8e48732ce30f77504df · 3,516 bytes
Verification
Latest check failed – showing figures verified against source 7 November 2026, 06:54 UTC Run at 10 November 2026, 11:33 UTC; the latest check failed, so these are the figures that matched the source in full at 7 November 2026, 06:54 UTC; they stand for up to 14 days while the failure is put right.
| Result | Check | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Pass | Provenance recorded | Department for Education; Open Government Licence; retrieved 2026-11-07T06:48:41Z; 8 raw file(s) |
| Pass | Raw files match recorded SHA-256 | 8 of 8 files intact |
| Pass | Re-parsing raw files reproduces figures | 326 of 326 figures and the headline reproduced; the meta's observations and release and accreditation and contract_sha256 and register_rows_sha256 and main match |
| Pass | Figures are finite numbers | 326 figures, 0 invalid |
| Fail | Live source matches every figure | re-read failed: Stop: held at freshness: the next release is now 'provisional' on '2027-08-31T23:59:59.000+01:00' |
| Not run | Second official route | No independent second route to these figures is published; the live re-fetch is the check. |
| Pass | Source page answers | https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/admission-appeals-in-england – HTTP 200 |
Notes
- All received appeals are described as being lodged. The appeals will be considered by a panel hearing unless they are withdrawn by the parent/carer – this is described as being heard. The heard appeals can be rejected or upheld (that is, successful).
- Reporting year 2026 counts appeals lodged by 1 September 2025 and reporting year 2025 those lodged by 1 September 2024: “In order to allow us to report on the current academic year, only appeals lodged by 1 September and relating to entry into the start of the academic year (for any year group) are collected. Appeals relating to applications for ‘in year’ entry, where a pupil moves during the course of the academic year, are not included.” (the DfE's methodology).
- How the appeals are collected: “Local authorities provide aggregate appeal data for all of their community and voluntary controlled schools via the school admission appeals data collection (APAD), returned to the department each January in relation to appeals submitted by the previous 1 September. Foundation, voluntary aided and academy schools submit their own appeal data via the spring school census (admissions appeals module), also held in January. All LAs are required in principle to provide a return for all of their mainstream community and voluntary controlled schools via the school admission appeals data collection (also known as APAD).” (the DfE's methodology). The figures are given by local authority as the Department for Education publishes them.
- Figures for the total number of admission appeals lodged are provided in this publication but, as described above, the number of appeals actually heard by an appeals panel is considered to be a more reliable indicator.
- “The rate of appeals lodged and heard are calculated using a total number of new admissions estimated from the January school census.” (the DfE's data guidance). “It includes all pupils who were on roll on census day and who were identified as a new entrant into a mainstream maintained or academy school on or after 1 July prior to the academic year starting.” (the DfE's methodology).
- The City of London has no secondary admissions; the Department for Education prints its secondary rates as 0 and the hub shows them as published: “City of London's sole school is a primary academy with an intake of around 30 pupils each year. Appeals are heard occasionally relating to that school but there are by definition no secondary appeals for City of London schools.” (the DfE's methodology).
- For all all through schools, any appeals received relating to entry into years reception to 6 have been counted as primary appeals, and appeals relating to years 7 upwards as secondary appeals.
- “Caution should be exercised in comparing exact rates for appeals lodged and heard in 2025 with figures for earlier years at the level of sub-phase, governance type or local authority. As was noted, the methodology for calculating the admissions denominator was revised in 2025 and is now presented as an estimate derived from data recorded in the Spring census and GIAS.” (the DfE's methodology). Both years shown are 2025 or later.
- “From 2026, the Isles of Scilly is included as a local authority with no appeals heard.” (the DfE's methodology). The 2026 release's file also gives it for 2025, with no appeals heard.
- Barnsley and Sheffield are given under their codes from before 1 April 2025, as the Department for Education gives them.
- The Department for Education publishes these as accredited official statistics. Its data is released under the Open Government Licence, as its data guidance says; it names no version.