Bedford High 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, 159 families put Bedford High School as their first choice and 493 named it as one of their preferences, for 179 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places, so in 2026 a family who put it first could expect an offer unless the school's other criteria ruled them out.
First-choice demand has fallen from 202 in 2021 to 159 in 2026, while places went from 214 to 179.
Across Wigan, 91% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Wigan lodged 261 appeals against secondary school offers; 192 reached a hearing and 30 succeeded (15.6% 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 | 179 | 159 | 493 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2025 | 231 | 199 | 448 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2024 | 210 | 188 | 507 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2023 | 224 | 212 | 516 | 0.9 | 2 |
| 2022 | 227 | 241 | 513 | 1.1 | 39 |
| 2021 | 214 | 202 | 470 | 0.9 | 2 |
| 2020 | 227 | 214 | 495 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2019 | 216 | 197 | 493 | 0.9 | 5 |
| 2018 | 218 | 220 | 488 | 1.0 | 10 |
| 2017 | 183 | 170 | 429 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2016 | 146 | 136 | 425 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2015 | 181 | 132 | 368 | 0.7 | 1 |
| 2014 | 175 | 142 | 414 | 0.8 | 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.