Philips High 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, 165 families put Philips High School as their first choice and 435 named it as one of their preferences, for 180 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.
Bury published that the last place offered for 2026 entry went to a family 4.384 miles away. The cut-off moves every year with the number of applications.
Across Bury, 91% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Bury lodged 265 appeals against secondary school offers; 158 reached a hearing and 46 succeeded (29.1% 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 | 180 | 165 | 435 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2025 | 166 | 146 | 427 | 0.9 | 1 |
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.
Last distance offered
| Entry year | Last place offered | Published by |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4.38 miles | Bury |
| 2024 | 2.75 miles | Bury |
| 2023 | 2.21 miles | Bury |
| 2022 | 1.64 miles | Bury |
| 2021 | 2.00 miles | Bury |
| 2020 | 0.00 miles | Bury |
Figures as each council published them, in the unit it used. The cut-off is not a boundary: it moves every year with the number of applications.