Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard: 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, 132 families put Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard as their first choice and 296 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. That is 2.2 first choices for every place. 74 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has risen from 80 in 2021 to 132 in 2026, while places went from 60 to 59.
Across Kent, 90% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Kent lodged 311 appeals against primary school offers; 223 reached a hearing and 22 succeeded (9.9% 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 | 59 | 132 | 296 | 2.2 | 74 |
| 2025 | 58 | 122 | 284 | 2.1 | 64 |
| 2024 | 60 | 132 | 290 | 2.2 | 73 |
| 2023 | 60 | 103 | 245 | 1.7 | 44 |
| 2022 | 60 | 79 | 191 | 1.3 | 21 |
| 2021 | 60 | 80 | 183 | 1.3 | 23 |
| 2020 | 59 | 75 | 156 | 1.3 | 20 |
| 2019 | 60 | 52 | 111 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2018 | 52 | 45 | 89 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2017 | 6 | 5 | 20 | 0.8 | 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.