John Port Spencer Academy: 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, 381 families put John Port Spencer Academy as their first choice and 538 named it as one of their preferences, for 384 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 risen from 295 in 2021 to 381 in 2026, while places went from 324 to 384.
29% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Across Derbyshire, 94% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Derbyshire lodged 344 appeals against secondary school offers; 220 reached a hearing and 62 succeeded (28.2% 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 | 384 | 381 | 538 | 1.0 | 13 |
| 2025 | 335 | 314 | 445 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2024 | 338 | 312 | 435 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2023 | 364 | 328 | 468 | 0.9 | 1 |
| 2022 | 328 | 301 | 422 | 0.9 | 1 |
| 2021 | 324 | 295 | 434 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2020 | 356 | 300 | 428 | 0.8 | 2 |
| 2019 | 384 | 289 | 444 | 0.8 | 3 |
| 2018 | 336 | 342 | 452 | 1.0 | 20 |
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.