Mercia 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, 385 families put Mercia School as their first choice and 1060 named it as one of their preferences, for 194 places offered. That is 2 first choices for every place. 198 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has risen from 246 in 2021 to 385 in 2026, while places went from 172 to 194.
Across Sheffield, 89% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 97% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Sheffield lodged 236 appeals against secondary school offers; 139 reached a hearing and 49 succeeded (35.3% 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 | 194 | 385 | 1060 | 2.0 | 198 |
| 2025 | 179 | 358 | 941 | 2.0 | 182 |
| 2024 | 190 | 347 | 921 | 1.8 | 159 |
| 2023 | 180 | 287 | 799 | 1.6 | 107 |
| 2022 | 181 | 285 | 755 | 1.6 | 121 |
| 2021 | 172 | 246 | 664 | 1.4 | 83 |
| 2020 | 180 | 230 | 589 | 1.3 | 62 |
| 2019 | 119 | 162 | 469 | 1.4 | 47 |
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.