Cantell 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, 318 families put Cantell School as their first choice and 682 named it as one of their preferences, for 239 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 93 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has risen from 238 in 2021 to 318 in 2026, while places went from 241 to 239.
Across Southampton, 83% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 93% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Southampton lodged 97 appeals against secondary school offers; 82 reached a hearing and 17 succeeded (20.7% 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 | 239 | 318 | 682 | 1.3 | 93 |
| 2025 | 241 | 325 | 682 | 1.3 | 99 |
| 2024 | 245 | 284 | 574 | 1.2 | 58 |
| 2023 | 246 | 258 | 567 | 1.0 | 45 |
| 2022 | 243 | 256 | 552 | 1.1 | 44 |
| 2021 | 241 | 238 | 570 | 1.0 | 51 |
| 2020 | 244 | 256 | 536 | 1.0 | 59 |
| 2019 | 238 | 204 | 421 | 0.9 | 22 |
| 2018 | 225 | 144 | 323 | 0.6 | 0 |
| 2017 | 194 | 135 | 313 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2016 | 224 | 156 | 333 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2015 | 174 | 106 | 288 | 0.6 | 0 |
| 2014 | 172 | 108 | 283 | 0.6 | 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.