Haberdashers' Adams: admissions history
How many families applied, how many places there were, and how far the last place went - every year we hold.
Haberdashers' Adams is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.
For September 2026 entry, 285 families put Haberdashers' Adams as their first choice and 558 named it as one of their preferences, for 135 places offered. That is 2.1 first choices for every place. 158 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has risen from 167 in 2021 to 285 in 2026, while places went from 128 to 135.
65% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Across Telford and Wrekin, 76% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 90% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Telford and Wrekin lodged 130 appeals against secondary school offers; 95 reached a hearing and 22 succeeded (23.2% 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 | 135 | 285 | 558 | 2.1 | 158 |
| 2025 | 132 | 228 | 429 | 1.7 | 98 |
| 2024 | 133 | 207 | 408 | 1.6 | 91 |
| 2023 | 132 | 175 | 244 | 1.3 | 50 |
| 2022 | 134 | 171 | 225 | 1.3 | 43 |
| 2021 | 128 | 167 | 237 | 1.3 | 48 |
| 2020 | 104 | 179 | 231 | 1.7 | 78 |
| 2019 | 101 | 208 | 269 | 2.1 | 108 |
| 2018 | 99 | 171 | 248 | 1.7 | 75 |
| 2017 | 103 | 159 | 223 | 1.5 | 60 |
| 2016 | 101 | 153 | 209 | 1.5 | 53 |
| 2015 | 109 | 164 | 227 | 1.5 | 63 |
| 2014 | 98 | 183 | 242 | 1.9 | 91 |
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.