John Ball 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, 138 families put John Ball Primary School as their first choice and 374 named it as one of their preferences, for 91 places offered. That is 1.5 first choices for every place. 53 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has risen from 104 in 2021 to 138 in 2026, while places went from 88 to 91.
47% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Across Lewisham, 87% 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 Lewisham lodged 113 appeals against primary school offers; 19 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 | 91 | 138 | 374 | 1.5 | 53 |
| 2025 | 90 | 111 | 330 | 1.2 | 31 |
| 2024 | 89 | 103 | 333 | 1.2 | 25 |
| 2023 | 90 | 101 | 286 | 1.1 | 25 |
| 2022 | 90 | 91 | 253 | 1.0 | 10 |
| 2021 | 88 | 104 | 292 | 1.2 | 25 |
| 2020 | 90 | 125 | 376 | 1.4 | 43 |
| 2019 | 90 | 114 | 324 | 1.3 | 29 |
| 2018 | 90 | 121 | 360 | 1.3 | 37 |
| 2017 | 90 | 125 | 399 | 1.4 | 45 |
| 2016 | 90 | 96 | 374 | 1.1 | 22 |
| 2015 | 90 | 102 | 389 | 1.1 | 34 |
| 2014 | 60 | 99 | 357 | 1.6 | 43 |
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.