Bennett Memorial Diocesan 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, 384 families put Bennett Memorial Diocesan School as their first choice and 1134 named it as one of their preferences, for 293 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 114 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has risen from 306 in 2021 to 384 in 2026, while places went from 297 to 293.
Across Kent, 79% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 96% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Kent lodged 2498 appeals against secondary school offers; 2231 reached a hearing and 595 succeeded (26.7% 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 | 293 | 384 | 1134 | 1.3 | 114 |
| 2025 | 293 | 321 | 1098 | 1.1 | 60 |
| 2024 | 292 | 282 | 955 | 1.0 | 33 |
| 2023 | 287 | 349 | 1028 | 1.2 | 97 |
| 2022 | 295 | 327 | 964 | 1.1 | 65 |
| 2021 | 297 | 306 | 1380 | 1.0 | 80 |
| 2020 | 289 | 338 | 1011 | 1.2 | 84 |
| 2019 | 299 | 348 | 1035 | 1.2 | 75 |
| 2018 | 268 | 283 | 899 | 1.1 | 49 |
| 2017 | 270 | 290 | 844 | 1.1 | 51 |
| 2016 | 269 | 249 | 816 | 0.9 | 20 |
| 2015 | 221 | 261 | 845 | 1.2 | 63 |
| 2014 | 235 | 297 | 808 | 1.3 | 84 |
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.