Fairway Infant School, Copthorne: 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, 77 families put Fairway Infant School, Copthorne as their first choice and 130 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 19 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has risen from 44 in 2021 to 77 in 2026, while places went from 55 to 59.
Across West Sussex, 92% 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 West Sussex lodged 187 appeals against primary school offers; 102 reached a hearing and 10 succeeded (9.8% 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 | 59 | 77 | 130 | 1.3 | 19 |
| 2025 | 60 | 59 | 105 | 1.0 | 7 |
| 2024 | 60 | 65 | 111 | 1.1 | 7 |
| 2023 | 54 | 48 | 96 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2022 | 60 | 56 | 102 | 0.9 | 1 |
| 2021 | 55 | 44 | 92 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2020 | 60 | 62 | 124 | 1.0 | 9 |
| 2019 | 54 | 48 | 92 | 0.9 | 3 |
| 2018 | 48 | 42 | 98 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2017 | 60 | 57 | 103 | 0.9 | 1 |
| 2016 | 49 | 37 | 90 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2015 | 50 | 49 | 92 | 1.0 | 1 |
| 2014 | 60 | 70 | 105 | 1.2 | 10 |
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.