Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre: 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, 191 families put Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre as their first choice and 479 named it as one of their preferences, for 243 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 265 in 2021 to 191 in 2026, while places went from 248 to 243.
Across Reading, 73% 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 Reading lodged 100 appeals against secondary school offers; 63 reached a hearing and none succeeded.
Applications and offers by year
| Entry year | Places offered | First choices | Named at all | First choices per place | First choices not offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 243 | 191 | 479 | 0.8 | 8 |
| 2025 | 245 | 182 | 402 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2024 | 243 | 211 | 500 | 0.9 | 29 |
| 2023 | 250 | 227 | 507 | 0.9 | 24 |
| 2022 | 246 | 271 | 513 | 1.1 | 67 |
| 2021 | 248 | 265 | 562 | 1.1 | 80 |
| 2020 | 248 | 283 | 527 | 1.1 | 75 |
| 2019 | 276 | 294 | 536 | 1.1 | 64 |
| 2018 | 246 | 302 | 522 | 1.2 | 96 |
| 2017 | 249 | 223 | 482 | 0.9 | 18 |
| 2016 | 217 | 205 | 442 | 0.9 | 28 |
| 2015 | 217 | 217 | 434 | 1.0 | 26 |
| 2014 | 216 | 237 | 457 | 1.1 | 42 |
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.