Downlands Community 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, 257 families put Downlands Community School as their first choice and 499 named it as one of their preferences, for 241 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 28 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Demand has been fairly steady: 294 first choices in 2021, against 257 in 2026.
Across West Sussex, 88% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in West Sussex lodged 492 appeals against secondary school offers; 353 reached a hearing and 60 succeeded (17% 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 | 241 | 257 | 499 | 1.1 | 28 |
| 2025 | 234 | 274 | 517 | 1.2 | 44 |
| 2024 | 242 | 282 | 559 | 1.2 | 49 |
| 2023 | 268 | 301 | 548 | 1.1 | 35 |
| 2022 | 271 | 312 | 611 | 1.2 | 43 |
| 2021 | 237 | 294 | 626 | 1.2 | 57 |
| 2020 | 237 | 293 | 642 | 1.2 | 57 |
| 2019 | 239 | 348 | 627 | 1.5 | 114 |
| 2018 | 239 | 279 | 599 | 1.2 | 43 |
| 2017 | 240 | 250 | 475 | 1.0 | 27 |
| 2016 | 238 | 243 | 511 | 1.0 | 22 |
| 2015 | 208 | 196 | 473 | 0.9 | 11 |
| 2014 | 207 | 204 | 440 | 1.0 | 22 |
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.