Merley First 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, 68 families put Merley First School as their first choice and 118 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 11 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Demand has been fairly steady: 72 first choices in 2021, against 68 in 2026.
Across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, 92% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole lodged 38 appeals against primary school offers; 29 reached a hearing and 5 succeeded (17.2% 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 | 60 | 68 | 118 | 1.1 | 11 |
| 2025 | 59 | 76 | 108 | 1.3 | 18 |
| 2024 | 55 | 53 | 87 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 44 | 39 | 80 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2022 | 59 | 56 | 97 | 0.9 | 3 |
| 2021 | 61 | 72 | 96 | 1.2 | 11 |
| 2020 | 60 | 59 | 87 | 1.0 | 3 |
| 2019 | 52 | 49 | 72 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2018 | 60 | 62 | 93 | 1.0 | 4 |
| 2017 | 60 | 60 | 84 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 60 | 73 | 113 | 1.2 | 15 |
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.