Merlin Top Primary Academy: 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, 43 families put Merlin Top Primary Academy as their first choice and 73 named it as one of their preferences, for 45 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.
First-choice demand has risen from 29 in 2021 to 43 in 2026, while places went from 41 to 45.
Across Bradford, 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 Bradford lodged 252 appeals against primary school offers; 166 reached a hearing and 35 succeeded (21.1% 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 | 45 | 43 | 73 | 1.0 | 1 |
| 2025 | 37 | 32 | 63 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2024 | 34 | 34 | 62 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 45 | 47 | 78 | 1.0 | 4 |
| 2022 | 45 | 35 | 70 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2021 | 41 | 29 | 58 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2020 | 45 | 42 | 70 | 0.9 | 2 |
| 2019 | 40 | 37 | 56 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2018 | 44 | 37 | 56 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2017 | 45 | 43 | 54 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 45 | 41 | 56 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2015 | 45 | 58 | 75 | 1.3 | 17 |
| 2014 | 44 | 47 | 73 | 1.1 | 7 |
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.