Cottons Farm Primary Academy: 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, 4 families put Cottons Farm Primary Academy as their first choice and 14 named it as one of their preferences, for 5 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 9 in 2021 to 4 in 2026, while places went from 9 to 5.
Across Derby, 94% 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 Derby lodged 461 appeals against primary school offers; 288 reached a hearing and 56 succeeded (19.4% 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 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 9 | 19 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 10 | 10 | 19 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 12 | 12 | 23 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2019 | 18 | 18 | 32 | 1.0 | 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.