Kendrick School: admissions history
How many families applied, how many places there were, and how far the last place went - every year we hold.
Kendrick 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, 351 families put Kendrick School as their first choice and 467 named it as one of their preferences, for 127 places offered. That is 2.8 first choices for every place. 232 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has fallen from 579 in 2021 to 351 in 2026.
51% of applications came from families living in another council area.
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 | 127 | 351 | 467 | 2.8 | 232 |
| 2025 | 127 | 384 | 495 | 3.0 | 261 |
| 2024 | 128 | 374 | 505 | 2.9 | 249 |
| 2023 | 128 | 396 | 532 | 3.1 | 272 |
| 2022 | 126 | 310 | 434 | 2.5 | 185 |
| 2021 | 127 | 579 | 742 | 4.6 | 455 |
| 2020 | 128 | 285 | 395 | 2.2 | 157 |
| 2019 | 95 | 246 | 332 | 2.6 | 153 |
| 2018 | 95 | 197 | 259 | 2.1 | 105 |
| 2017 | 95 | 196 | 255 | 2.1 | 101 |
| 2016 | 96 | 175 | 272 | 1.8 | 81 |
| 2015 | 96 | 205 | 301 | 2.1 | 111 |
| 2014 | 93 | 230 | 314 | 2.5 | 138 |
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.