Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College: 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, 250 families put Cardinal Newman Catholic School A Specialist Science College as their first choice and 410 named it as one of their preferences, for 261 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.
Demand has been fairly steady: 285 first choices in 2021, against 250 in 2026.
Across Luton, 83% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 95% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Luton lodged 244 appeals against secondary school offers; 202 reached a hearing and 18 succeeded (8.9% 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 | 261 | 250 | 410 | 1.0 | 15 |
| 2025 | 246 | 292 | 455 | 1.2 | 60 |
| 2024 | 249 | 285 | 439 | 1.1 | 51 |
| 2023 | 241 | 293 | 471 | 1.2 | 61 |
| 2022 | 238 | 282 | 441 | 1.2 | 60 |
| 2021 | 241 | 285 | 437 | 1.2 | 50 |
| 2020 | 257 | 296 | 462 | 1.2 | 54 |
| 2019 | 240 | 307 | 480 | 1.3 | 73 |
| 2018 | 237 | 334 | 517 | 1.4 | 112 |
| 2017 | 240 | 322 | 510 | 1.3 | 101 |
| 2016 | 258 | 269 | 427 | 1.0 | 28 |
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.