Highbury Primary 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, 68 families put Highbury Primary School as their first choice and 106 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 8 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has risen from 58 in 2021 to 68 in 2026.
Across Portsmouth, 93% 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 Portsmouth lodged 30 appeals against primary school offers; 17 reached a hearing and 2 succeeded (11.8% 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 | 60 | 68 | 106 | 1.1 | 8 |
| 2025 | 48 | 46 | 102 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 59 | 54 | 92 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2023 | 51 | 51 | 79 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 59 | 57 | 100 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 60 | 58 | 106 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 60 | 61 | 118 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 2019 | 59 | 47 | 117 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2018 | 59 | 64 | 150 | 1.1 | 6 |
| 2017 | 60 | 70 | 143 | 1.2 | 14 |
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.