Bishop Wordsworth's Church of England Grammar School: admissions history
How many families applied, how many places there were, and how far the last place went - every year we hold.
Bishop Wordsworth's Church of England Grammar School is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.
For September 2026 entry, 213 families put Bishop Wordsworth's Church of England Grammar School as their first choice and 249 named it as one of their preferences, for 157 places offered. That is 1.4 first choices for every place. 56 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has fallen from 267 in 2021 to 213 in 2026, while places went from 159 to 157.
43% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Across Wiltshire, 94% 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 Wiltshire lodged 88 appeals against secondary school offers; 58 reached a hearing and 16 succeeded (27.6% 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 | 157 | 213 | 249 | 1.4 | 56 |
| 2025 | 157 | 214 | 235 | 1.4 | 57 |
| 2024 | 157 | 213 | 249 | 1.4 | 58 |
| 2023 | 159 | 212 | 246 | 1.3 | 56 |
| 2022 | 158 | 203 | 236 | 1.3 | 49 |
| 2021 | 159 | 267 | 339 | 1.7 | 109 |
| 2020 | 159 | 206 | 236 | 1.3 | 47 |
| 2019 | 159 | 188 | 208 | 1.2 | 30 |
| 2018 | 160 | 179 | 212 | 1.1 | 20 |
| 2017 | 160 | 179 | 212 | 1.1 | 19 |
| 2016 | 122 | 148 | 176 | 1.2 | 26 |
| 2015 | 129 | 158 | 178 | 1.2 | 29 |
| 2014 | 119 | 148 | 160 | 1.2 | 29 |
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.