King James I Academy Bishop Auckland: 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, 152 families put King James I Academy Bishop Auckland as their first choice and 423 named it as one of their preferences, for 156 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: 166 first choices in 2021, against 152 in 2026.
Across County Durham, 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 County Durham lodged 232 appeals against secondary school offers; 166 reached a hearing and 45 succeeded (27.1% 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 | 156 | 152 | 423 | 1.0 | 3 |
| 2025 | 176 | 203 | 492 | 1.2 | 29 |
| 2024 | 157 | 155 | 368 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 171 | 183 | 399 | 1.1 | 15 |
| 2022 | 170 | 192 | 464 | 1.1 | 24 |
| 2021 | 165 | 166 | 459 | 1.0 | 9 |
| 2020 | 168 | 198 | 468 | 1.2 | 30 |
| 2019 | 185 | 201 | 507 | 1.1 | 16 |
| 2018 | 161 | 155 | 420 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 147 | 146 | 340 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 127 | 125 | 269 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 125 | 122 | 244 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 126 | 126 | 265 | 1.0 | 0 |
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.