Herschel Grammar School: admissions history
How many families applied, how many places there were, and how far the last place went - every year we hold.
Herschel Grammar School 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, 119 families put Herschel Grammar School as their first choice and 1066 named it as one of their preferences, for 149 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 282 in 2021 to 119 in 2026, while places went from 121 to 149.
59% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Across Slough, 69% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 95% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Slough lodged 495 appeals against secondary school offers; 417 reached a hearing and 9 succeeded (2.2% 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 | 149 | 119 | 1066 | 0.8 | 78 |
| 2025 | 146 | 126 | 1170 | 0.9 | 80 |
| 2024 | 149 | 105 | 1188 | 0.7 | 63 |
| 2023 | 151 | 131 | 1179 | 0.9 | 80 |
| 2022 | 147 | 127 | 1159 | 0.9 | 78 |
| 2021 | 121 | 282 | 1757 | 2.3 | 228 |
| 2020 | 147 | 132 | 1100 | 0.9 | 85 |
| 2019 | 168 | 217 | 1267 | 1.3 | 136 |
| 2018 | 151 | 234 | 1251 | 1.5 | 155 |
| 2017 | 150 | 189 | 1096 | 1.3 | 115 |
| 2016 | 125 | 251 | 1380 | 2.0 | 197 |
| 2015 | 111 | 188 | 978 | 1.7 | 114 |
| 2014 | 102 | 256 | 1056 | 2.5 | 185 |
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.