Paddington 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, 296 families put Paddington Academy as their first choice and 720 named it as one of their preferences, for 174 places offered. That is 1.7 first choices for every place. 136 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Demand has been fairly steady: 261 first choices in 2021, against 296 in 2026.
46% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Across Westminster, 66% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 93% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Westminster lodged 66 appeals against secondary school offers; 58 reached a hearing and none succeeded.
Applications and offers by year
| Entry year | Places offered | First choices | Named at all | First choices per place | First choices not offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 174 | 296 | 720 | 1.7 | 136 |
| 2025 | 174 | 286 | 717 | 1.6 | 125 |
| 2024 | 174 | 233 | 686 | 1.3 | 75 |
| 2023 | 174 | 233 | 671 | 1.3 | 72 |
| 2022 | 174 | 235 | 774 | 1.4 | 87 |
| 2021 | 175 | 261 | 840 | 1.5 | 109 |
| 2020 | 175 | 228 | 831 | 1.3 | 87 |
| 2019 | 175 | 280 | 858 | 1.6 | 120 |
| 2018 | 175 | 235 | 838 | 1.3 | 95 |
| 2017 | 173 | 249 | 835 | 1.4 | 107 |
| 2016 | 172 | 253 | 760 | 1.5 | 113 |
| 2015 | 171 | 260 | 733 | 1.5 | 111 |
| 2014 | 172 | 239 | 725 | 1.4 | 98 |
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.