Ilford County High School: admissions history
How many families applied, how many places there were, and how far the last place went - every year we hold.
Ilford County High 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, 258 families put Ilford County High School as their first choice and 538 named it as one of their preferences, for 179 places offered. That is 1.4 first choices for every place. 110 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has fallen from 471 in 2021 to 258 in 2026.
31% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Across Redbridge, 68% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 93% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Redbridge lodged 199 appeals against secondary school offers; 167 reached a hearing and 10 succeeded (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 | 179 | 258 | 538 | 1.4 | 110 |
| 2025 | 178 | 319 | 569 | 1.8 | 164 |
| 2024 | 180 | 259 | 544 | 1.4 | 100 |
| 2023 | 174 | 293 | 541 | 1.7 | 140 |
| 2022 | 181 | 276 | 561 | 1.5 | 124 |
| 2021 | 179 | 471 | 697 | 2.6 | 328 |
| 2020 | 181 | 288 | 615 | 1.6 | 148 |
| 2019 | 179 | 285 | 627 | 1.6 | 145 |
| 2018 | 180 | 344 | 638 | 1.9 | 193 |
| 2017 | 179 | 484 | 769 | 2.7 | 318 |
| 2016 | 180 | 308 | 563 | 1.7 | 148 |
| 2015 | 120 | 229 | 469 | 1.9 | 116 |
| 2014 | 113 | 275 | 472 | 2.4 | 168 |
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.