Secondary school applications by council, England
Official statistics
The number of applications for a place at the main entry point to state-funded secondary school each of England's education authorities received from its residents for national offer day, with its regions and England, for the latest two years, from the Department for Education.
England
589,747
2026/27
Latest check failed – showing figures verified against source 6 November 2026, 07:00 UTC- 2026/27
- 2025/26
Source: Department for Education. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence.
In order
Ranked by the hub 2026/27
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 =.
- 1Kent18,644
- 2Essex16,568
- 3Birmingham14,483
- 4Hampshire13,874
- 5Lancashire13,782
- 6Hertfordshire13,456
- 7Surrey11,986
- 8Leeds9,313
- 9Nottinghamshire9,200
- 10West Sussex8,765
- 11Norfolk8,625
- 12Derbyshire7,971
- 13Lincolnshire7,828
- 14Staffordshire7,681
- 15Leicestershire7,490
- 16Bradford7,489
- 17Devon7,251
- 18Suffolk7,204
- 19Oxfordshire6,814
- 20Cambridgeshire6,755
- 21Warwickshire6,716
- 22Manchester6,542
- 23Buckinghamshire6,535
- 24Gloucestershire6,517
- 25Sheffield, its area before 1 April 20256,416
- 26North Yorkshire5,586
- 27Cornwall5,542
- 28Liverpool5,379
- 29East Sussex4,990
- 30County Durham4,986
- 31Wiltshire4,934
- 32Kirklees4,787
- 33Somerset4,659
- 34Leicester4,613
- 35West Northamptonshire4,602
- 36Bristol, City of4,426
- 37Sandwell4,404
- 38Coventry4,348
- 39North Northamptonshire4,186
- 40Croydon4,184
- 41Cheshire East4,072
- 42Barnet3,998
- 43Enfield3,975
- 44Wakefield3,912
- 45Bolton3,868
- 46Worcestershire3,828
- 47Walsall3,782
- 48Milton Keynes3,768
- 49Wigan3,718
- 50Nottingham3,688
- 51Newham3,682
- 52Bromley3,651
- 53Ealing3,627
- 54Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole3,624
- 55Medway3,586
- 56Dudley3,570
- 57Hillingdon3,520
- 58Doncaster3,506
- 59Cheshire West and Chester3,482
- 60Wolverhampton3,467
- 61Redbridge3,422
- 62Stockport3,368
- 63Wirral3,305
- 64Havering3,279
- 65Brent3,253
- 66Stoke-on-Trent3,223
- 67Trafford3,221
- =68East Riding of Yorkshire3,190
- =68Oldham3,190
- 70South Gloucestershire3,164
- 71Hounslow3,156
- 72Derby3,099
- 73Barking and Dagenham3,094
- 74Kingston upon Hull, City of3,093
- 75Greenwich3,054
- 76Bexley2,992
- 77Luton2,972
- 78Rotherham2,933
- 79Sunderland2,921
- 80Swindon2,914
- 81Sutton2,870
- 82Rochdale2,860
- 83Shropshire2,845
- 84Harrow2,840
- 85Lewisham2,828
- 86Sefton2,791
- 87Salford2,789
- 88Peterborough2,762
- 89Plymouth2,761
- 90Cumberland2,751
- 91Waltham Forest2,724
- 92Tameside2,719
- 93Tower Hamlets2,716
- 94Southampton2,668
- 95Barnsley, its area before 1 April 20252,653
- 96Solihull2,632
- 97Warrington2,620
- 98Newcastle upon Tyne2,594
- 99Southwark2,489
- 100Thurrock2,478
- 101Wokingham2,318
- 102Haringey2,285
- 103Telford and Wrekin2,281
- 104North Somerset2,256
- 105Slough2,239
- 106Bury2,233
- 107Calderdale2,231
- 108Stockton-on-Tees2,216
- 109Lambeth2,198
- 110Wandsworth2,164
- 111Brighton and Hove2,154
- 112Portsmouth2,140
- 113Blackburn with Darwen2,116
- 114Dorset2,105
- 115Bedford2,095
- 116Southend-on-Sea2,060
- 117Hackney2,029
- 118Richmond upon Thames2,021
- 119Merton1,982
- 120Middlesbrough1,913
- 121Westmorland and Furness1,903
- 122Kingston upon Thames1,895
- 123North East Lincolnshire1,851
- 124Gateshead1,850
- 125St. Helens1,849
- 126Knowsley1,828
- 127Northumberland1,819
- 128Reading1,794
- 129York1,772
- 130Bath and North East Somerset1,769
- 131North Lincolnshire1,717
- =132Herefordshire, County of1,685
- =132North Tyneside1,685
- 134West Berkshire1,680
- 135Islington1,593
- 136South Tyneside1,548
- 137Blackpool1,503
- 138Central Bedfordshire1,502
- 139Halton1,471
- 140Redcar and Cleveland1,452
- 141Bracknell Forest1,337
- 142Torbay1,279
- 143Camden1,261
- 144Isle of Wight1,221
- 145Windsor and Maidenhead1,198
- 146Darlington1,134
- 147Hammersmith and Fulham1,109
- 148Hartlepool1,061
- 149Westminster901
- 150Kensington and Chelsea602
- 151Rutland331
- 152City of London23
No figure published for Barnsley (given under its old code, E08000016), Isles of Scilly (No data is included for the Isles of Scilly, which has one school with a normal entry point of age 3 which all children attend.), Sheffield (given under its old code, E08000019).
Counts follow the size of the place, so the largest places tend to come first.
Data table
161 rows
| Area | 2026/27 | 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|
| Kent E10000016 | 18,644 | 18,281 |
| Essex E10000012 | 16,568 | 16,788 |
| Birmingham E08000025 | 14,483 | 14,943 |
| Hampshire E10000014 | 13,874 | 14,221 |
| Lancashire E10000017 | 13,782 | 13,820 |
| Hertfordshire E10000015 | 13,456 | 13,699 |
| Surrey E10000030 | 11,986 | 12,278 |
| Leeds E08000035 | 9,313 | 9,401 |
| Nottinghamshire E10000024 | 9,200 | 9,316 |
| West Sussex E10000032 | 8,765 | 8,914 |
| Norfolk E10000020 | 8,625 | 8,636 |
| Derbyshire E10000007 | 7,971 | 7,963 |
| Lincolnshire E10000019 | 7,828 | 7,938 |
| Staffordshire E10000028 | 7,681 | 7,846 |
| Leicestershire E10000018 | 7,490 | 7,352 |
| Bradford E08000032 | 7,489 | 7,685 |
| Devon E10000008 | 7,251 | 7,482 |
| Suffolk E10000029 | 7,204 | 7,401 |
| Oxfordshire E10000025 | 6,814 | 6,969 |
| Cambridgeshire E10000003 | 6,755 | 6,820 |
| Warwickshire E10000031 | 6,716 | 6,806 |
| Manchester E08000003 | 6,542 | 6,683 |
| Buckinghamshire E06000060 | 6,535 | 6,518 |
| Gloucestershire E10000013 | 6,517 | 6,678 |
| Sheffield E08000019 its area before 1 April 2025 | 6,416 | 6,339 |
| North Yorkshire E06000065 | 5,586 | 5,644 |
| Cornwall E06000052 | 5,542 | 5,640 |
| Liverpool E08000012 | 5,379 | 5,276 |
| East Sussex E10000011 | 4,990 | 4,976 |
| County Durham E06000047 | 4,986 | 5,186 |
| Wiltshire E06000054 | 4,934 | 5,079 |
| Kirklees E08000034 | 4,787 | 4,871 |
| Somerset E06000066 | 4,659 | 4,601 |
| Leicester E06000016 | 4,613 | 4,655 |
| West Northamptonshire E06000062 | 4,602 | 4,699 |
| Bristol, City of E06000023 | 4,426 | 4,544 |
| Sandwell E08000028 | 4,404 | 4,326 |
| Coventry E08000026 | 4,348 | 4,387 |
| North Northamptonshire E06000061 | 4,186 | 4,139 |
| Croydon E09000008 | 4,184 | 4,421 |
| Cheshire East E06000049 | 4,072 | 4,203 |
| Barnet E09000003 | 3,998 | 4,221 |
| Enfield E09000010 | 3,975 | 4,067 |
| Wakefield E08000036 | 3,912 | 3,997 |
| Bolton E08000001 | 3,868 | 4,014 |
| Worcestershire E10000034 | 3,828 | 3,871 |
| Walsall E08000030 | 3,782 | 3,772 |
| Milton Keynes E06000042 | 3,768 | 3,735 |
| Wigan E08000010 | 3,718 | 3,703 |
| Nottingham E06000018 | 3,688 | 3,566 |
| Newham E09000025 | 3,682 | 3,943 |
| Bromley E09000006 | 3,651 | 3,602 |
| Ealing E09000009 | 3,627 | 3,741 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole E06000058 | 3,624 | 3,669 |
| Medway E06000035 | 3,586 | 3,697 |
| Dudley E08000027 | 3,570 | 3,731 |
| Hillingdon E09000017 | 3,520 | 3,622 |
| Doncaster E08000017 | 3,506 | 3,298 |
| Cheshire West and Chester E06000050 | 3,482 | 3,615 |
| Wolverhampton E08000031 | 3,467 | 3,539 |
| Redbridge E09000026 | 3,422 | 3,444 |
| Stockport E08000007 | 3,368 | 3,486 |
| Wirral E08000015 | 3,305 | 3,417 |
| Havering E09000016 | 3,279 | 3,183 |
| Brent E09000005 | 3,253 | 3,350 |
| Stoke-on-Trent E06000021 | 3,223 | 3,413 |
| Trafford E08000009 | 3,221 | 3,267 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire E06000011 | 3,190 | 3,146 |
| Oldham E08000004 | 3,190 | 3,251 |
| South Gloucestershire E06000025 | 3,164 | 3,138 |
| Hounslow E09000018 | 3,156 | 3,180 |
| Derby E06000015 | 3,099 | 3,185 |
| Barking and Dagenham E09000002 | 3,094 | 2,982 |
| Kingston upon Hull, City of E06000010 | 3,093 | 3,148 |
| Greenwich E09000011 | 3,054 | 3,090 |
| Bexley E09000004 | 2,992 | 2,996 |
| Luton E06000032 | 2,972 | 3,049 |
| Rotherham E08000018 | 2,933 | 2,919 |
| Sunderland E08000024 | 2,921 | 2,859 |
| Swindon E06000030 | 2,914 | 2,957 |
| Sutton E09000029 | 2,870 | 2,760 |
| Rochdale E08000005 | 2,860 | 3,006 |
| Shropshire E06000051 | 2,845 | 2,845 |
| Harrow E09000015 | 2,840 | 2,824 |
| Lewisham E09000023 | 2,828 | 2,923 |
| Sefton E08000014 | 2,791 | 2,940 |
| Salford E08000006 | 2,789 | 2,859 |
| Peterborough E06000031 | 2,762 | 2,819 |
| Plymouth E06000026 | 2,761 | 2,784 |
| Cumberland E06000063 | 2,751 | 2,811 |
| Waltham Forest E09000031 | 2,724 | 2,739 |
| Tameside E08000008 | 2,719 | 2,730 |
| Tower Hamlets E09000030 | 2,716 | 2,958 |
| Southampton E06000045 | 2,668 | 2,524 |
| Barnsley E08000016 its area before 1 April 2025 | 2,653 | 2,603 |
| Solihull E08000029 | 2,632 | 2,755 |
| Warrington E06000007 | 2,620 | 2,544 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne E08000021 | 2,594 | 2,592 |
| Southwark E09000028 | 2,489 | 2,545 |
| Thurrock E06000034 | 2,478 | 2,437 |
| Wokingham E06000041 | 2,318 | 2,387 |
| Haringey E09000014 | 2,285 | 2,242 |
| Telford and Wrekin E06000020 | 2,281 | 2,369 |
| North Somerset E06000024 | 2,256 | 2,271 |
| Slough E06000039 | 2,239 | 2,318 |
| Bury E08000002 | 2,233 | 2,319 |
| Calderdale E08000033 | 2,231 | 2,299 |
| Stockton-on-Tees E06000004 | 2,216 | 2,277 |
| Lambeth E09000022 | 2,198 | 2,225 |
| Wandsworth E09000032 | 2,164 | 2,182 |
| Brighton and Hove E06000043 | 2,154 | 2,229 |
| Portsmouth E06000044 | 2,140 | 2,185 |
| Blackburn with Darwen E06000008 | 2,116 | 2,109 |
| Dorset E06000059 | 2,105 | 2,234 |
| Bedford E06000055 | 2,095 | 2,069 |
| Southend-on-Sea E06000033 | 2,060 | 2,111 |
| Hackney E09000012 | 2,029 | 2,035 |
| Richmond upon Thames E09000027 | 2,021 | 1,946 |
| Merton E09000024 | 1,982 | 2,042 |
| Middlesbrough E06000002 | 1,913 | 1,930 |
| Westmorland and Furness E06000064 | 1,903 | 1,955 |
| Kingston upon Thames E09000021 | 1,895 | 1,908 |
| North East Lincolnshire E06000012 | 1,851 | 1,728 |
| Gateshead E08000037 | 1,850 | 1,835 |
| St. Helens E08000013 | 1,849 | 1,879 |
| Knowsley E08000011 | 1,828 | 1,725 |
| Northumberland E06000057 | 1,819 | 1,744 |
| Reading E06000038 | 1,794 | 1,870 |
| York E06000014 | 1,772 | 1,865 |
| Bath and North East Somerset E06000022 | 1,769 | 1,707 |
| North Lincolnshire E06000013 | 1,717 | 1,858 |
| Herefordshire, County of E06000019 | 1,685 | 1,763 |
| North Tyneside E08000022 | 1,685 | 1,716 |
| West Berkshire E06000037 | 1,680 | 1,749 |
| Islington E09000019 | 1,593 | 1,585 |
| South Tyneside E08000023 | 1,548 | 1,577 |
| Blackpool E06000009 | 1,503 | 1,613 |
| Central Bedfordshire E06000056 | 1,502 | 1,679 |
| Halton E06000006 | 1,471 | 1,432 |
| Redcar and Cleveland E06000003 | 1,452 | 1,535 |
| Bracknell Forest E06000036 | 1,337 | 1,371 |
| Torbay E06000027 | 1,279 | 1,375 |
| Camden E09000007 | 1,261 | 1,315 |
| Isle of Wight E06000046 | 1,221 | 1,244 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead E06000040 | 1,198 | 1,220 |
| Darlington E06000005 | 1,134 | 1,137 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham E09000013 | 1,109 | 1,199 |
| Hartlepool E06000001 | 1,061 | 1,107 |
| Westminster E09000033 | 901 | 909 |
| Kensington and Chelsea E09000020 | 602 | 622 |
| Rutland E06000017 | 331 | 352 |
| City of London E09000001 | 23 | 32 |
| Barnsley E08000038 | given for its area before 1 April 2025, under E08000016 | given for its area before 1 April 2025, under E08000016 |
| Isles of Scilly E06000053 | No data is included for the Isles of Scilly, which has one school with a normal entry point of age 3 which all children attend. | No data is included for the Isles of Scilly, which has one school with a normal entry point of age 3 which all children attend. |
| Sheffield E08000039 | given for its area before 1 April 2025, under E08000019 | given for its area before 1 April 2025, under E08000019 |
| North East | 25,179 | 25,495 |
| North West | 83,360 | 84,657 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 60,449 | 60,801 |
| East Midlands | 53,008 | 53,165 |
| West Midlands | 64,945 | 66,366 |
| East of England | 66,477 | 67,508 |
| South East | 97,711 | 98,686 |
| South West | 53,201 | 54,159 |
| England | 589,747 | 597,670 |
Map
2026/27 · 129 areas, each shaded by the fifth of the areas its figure falls in
- 23 to 1,828
- 1,828 to 2,478
- 2,478 to 3,093
- 3,093 to 3,768
- 3,768 to 14k
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/primary-and-secondary-school-applications-and-offers
- Licence
- Open Government Licence – Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence.
- Retrieved
- 6 November 2026, 06:56 UTC
- Raw files fetched
- https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/primary-and-secondary-school-applications-and-offers/2026-27SHA-256 db81a526a15b916152c05447ff632d5813396c8c3dfe308f05a93a22a625ddd8 · 601 bytes
- https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/data-set-files?publicationId=66c8e9db-8bf2-4b0b-b094-cfab25c20b05&latestOnly=true&pageSize=40SHA-256 fce44fe894fc2829c9fcf93ecae2adef6c0d032854a5a480bfc0869a6d5cbdf7 · 3,699 bytes
- https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/data-set-files/8747703f-e125-4d14-a996-7b901e41257cSHA-256 e456fa1ae44abac8902d62d03920d8d1344404b44d7bee8874e01d4479280bc7 · 6,752 bytes
- https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/releases/0bf4f9cf-721d-44e3-8473-266c87e17e00/files?fileIds=a7f90bc0-3546-440c-f79e-08deb4e064b9SHA-256 06494e9f22c999a211e52c44902a18edf8bd4f49c48a67be459fc3584edb8def · 411,513 bytes
- https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/primary-and-secondary-school-applications-and-offersSHA-256 207fd39cb25097930be193bec37804e8793fc5133eb498dea6e9488536f7e5fb · 28,139 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 4f91d8389c50c2c96a318db6c2cc7797906444e030e45505fe7614758d4141c9 · 110,765 bytes
- receipts.json, made by the hub and not fetched: its receipt for each file it fetchedSHA-256 35c01f4557565cc71739f96788b5f2bd4af517ef66990cd35cbc75db8e3bf923 · 3,253 bytes
Verification
Latest check failed – showing figures verified against source 6 November 2026, 07:00 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 6 November 2026, 07:00 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 2026-11-06T06:56:03Z; 7 raw file(s) |
| Pass | Raw files match recorded SHA-256 | 7 of 7 files intact |
| Pass | Re-parsing raw files reproduces figures | 322 of 322 figures and the headline reproduced; the meta's gap and observations and release and contract_sha256 and register_rows_sha256 and main match |
| Pass | Figures are finite numbers | 322 figures, 0 invalid |
| Fail | Live source matches every figure | re-read failed: Stop: held at freshness: the next release is now 'provisional' on '2027-06-30T23:59:59.000+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/primary-and-secondary-school-applications-and-offers – HTTP 200 |
Notes
- The data collected is the position as at the respective national offer day. The final numbers of pupils starting in specific schools is likely to be different due to late applicants, refusal of offers, subsequent offers made via a second offer round or the schools’ waiting lists, or successful appeals.
- The local authority receives, and reports on, applications for a school place from parents/guardians who are living within their local authority. However, the applications are in all cases reported within these tables by the local authority to whom the application is made (that is, the one in which the child is resident).
- At secondary level the application is for the main entry point into secondary school in that local authority. For local authorities with more than one entry point, the intake with the largest number of places available is the one reported. Places at schools such as UTCs and Studio Schools whose intake is in year 10 (at age 14), and other schools who do not offer places via the co-ordinated admissions process, are not included in these figures.
- Central Bedfordshire’s 2025/26 secondary figures are for entry at year 9 and its 2026/27 figures for year 7: “Until 2025 this was year 7 for all local authorities except Central Bedfordshire, whose largest entry point was in year 9. In 2026 Central Bedfordshire's largest entry point became year 7 and so from that year all the data submitted is for year 7 entry.” (the DfE's methodology).
- Counts are of applications on national offer day, as each council returned them.
- The local authorities are asked not to provide data on school places offered to children with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan since the parents of these children were not required to apply for their school place.
- The Department for Education gives London as Inner and Outer London, not as a region, so London has no regional figure here.
- 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 official statistics. Its data is released under the Open Government Licence, as its data guidance says; it names no version.