Bedford Free School: admissions history
How many families applied, how many places there were, and how far the last place went - every year we hold.
For September 2026 entry, 168 families put Bedford Free School as their first choice and 434 named it as one of their preferences, for 109 places offered. That is 1.5 first choices for every place. 60 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has fallen from 210 in 2021 to 168 in 2026, while places went from 93 to 109.
Across Bedford, 91% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Bedford lodged 145 appeals against secondary school offers; 133 reached a hearing and 32 succeeded (24.1% of those heard).
Applications and offers by year
| Entry year | Places offered | First choices | Named at all | First choices per place | First choices not offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 109 | 168 | 434 | 1.5 | 60 |
| 2025 | 108 | 190 | 376 | 1.8 | 92 |
| 2024 | 99 | 189 | 358 | 1.9 | 93 |
| 2023 | 96 | 209 | 381 | 2.2 | 114 |
| 2022 | 111 | 223 | 411 | 2.0 | 116 |
| 2021 | 93 | 210 | 390 | 2.3 | 120 |
| 2020 | 98 | 182 | 335 | 1.9 | 90 |
| 2019 | 120 | 189 | 346 | 1.6 | 79 |
| 2018 | 119 | 117 | 205 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 2017 | 129 | 127 | 202 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0.7 | 0 |
Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school-level file). "Places offered" is the number of offers made on national offer day, which can differ from the school's published admission number.