Holy Cross Catholic Primary School, Harlow: 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, 45 families put Holy Cross Catholic Primary School, Harlow as their first choice and 84 named it as one of their preferences, for 50 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.
Demand has been fairly steady: 41 first choices in 2021, against 45 in 2026.
Across Essex, 90% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Essex lodged 371 appeals against primary school offers; 225 reached a hearing and 35 succeeded (15.6% 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 | 50 | 45 | 84 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2025 | 48 | 44 | 75 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2024 | 56 | 55 | 89 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 46 | 37 | 67 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2022 | 45 | 45 | 80 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 45 | 41 | 85 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2020 | 60 | 59 | 117 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 60 | 65 | 134 | 1.1 | 6 |
| 2018 | 59 | 66 | 138 | 1.1 | 8 |
| 2017 | 60 | 56 | 146 | 0.9 | 2 |
| 2016 | 60 | 76 | 177 | 1.3 | 17 |
| 2015 | 61 | 71 | 174 | 1.2 | 20 |
| 2014 | 60 | 55 | 120 | 0.9 | 1 |
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.