Cotton End Forest 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, 48 families put Cotton End Forest School as their first choice and 109 named it as one of their preferences, for 51 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.
First-choice demand has fallen from 80 in 2021 to 48 in 2026, while places went from 60 to 51.
Across Bedford, 93% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Bedford lodged 29 appeals against primary school offers; 14 reached a hearing and 1 succeeded (7.1% 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 | 51 | 48 | 109 | 0.9 | 1 |
| 2025 | 59 | 67 | 104 | 1.1 | 8 |
| 2024 | 60 | 64 | 114 | 1.1 | 4 |
| 2023 | 48 | 48 | 84 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 60 | 68 | 119 | 1.1 | 11 |
| 2021 | 60 | 80 | 115 | 1.3 | 21 |
| 2020 | 56 | 55 | 101 | 1.0 | 1 |
| 2019 | 44 | 39 | 77 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2018 | 30 | 30 | 64 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 14 | 14 | 35 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 15 | 20 | 41 | 1.3 | 5 |
| 2015 | 15 | 19 | 37 | 1.3 | 5 |
| 2014 | 15 | 17 | 31 | 1.1 | 3 |
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.