Bournemouth School: admissions history
How many families applied, how many places there were, and how far the last place went - every year we hold.
Bournemouth 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, 238 families put Bournemouth School as their first choice and 384 named it as one of their preferences, for 179 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 60 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has fallen from 304 in 2021 to 238 in 2026.
Across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, 86% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 97% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole lodged 265 appeals against secondary school offers; 221 reached a hearing and 43 succeeded (19.5% 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 | 238 | 384 | 1.3 | 60 |
| 2025 | 178 | 215 | 332 | 1.2 | 37 |
| 2024 | 180 | 266 | 388 | 1.5 | 87 |
| 2023 | 177 | 240 | 373 | 1.4 | 63 |
| 2022 | 179 | 218 | 365 | 1.2 | 44 |
| 2021 | 179 | 304 | 461 | 1.7 | 130 |
| 2020 | 179 | 230 | 352 | 1.3 | 52 |
| 2019 | 180 | 230 | 374 | 1.3 | 53 |
| 2018 | 151 | 230 | 338 | 1.5 | 82 |
| 2017 | 150 | 215 | 305 | 1.4 | 66 |
| 2016 | 148 | 214 | 337 | 1.4 | 66 |
| 2015 | 145 | 182 | 289 | 1.3 | 37 |
| 2014 | 147 | 169 | 257 | 1.1 | 24 |
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.