Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith: admissions history
How many families applied, how many places there were, and how far the last place went - every year we hold.
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.
For September 2026 entry, 175 families put Queen Elizabeth Grammar School Penrith as their first choice and 227 named it as one of their preferences, for 158 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 17 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has fallen from 271 in 2021 to 175 in 2026, while places went from 159 to 158.
38% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Across Westmorland and Furness, 96% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 100% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Westmorland and Furness lodged 50 appeals against secondary school offers; 43 reached a hearing and 21 succeeded (48.8% 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 | 158 | 175 | 227 | 1.1 | 17 |
| 2025 | 153 | 173 | 241 | 1.1 | 20 |
| 2024 | 158 | 179 | 231 | 1.1 | 21 |
| 2023 | 160 | 185 | 237 | 1.2 | 25 |
| 2022 | 159 | 219 | 271 | 1.4 | 60 |
| 2021 | 159 | 271 | 328 | 1.7 | 112 |
| 2020 | 159 | 206 | 256 | 1.3 | 47 |
| 2019 | 156 | 194 | 262 | 1.2 | 38 |
| 2018 | 149 | 195 | 258 | 1.3 | 47 |
| 2017 | 128 | 186 | 273 | 1.5 | 59 |
| 2016 | 128 | 153 | 244 | 1.2 | 28 |
| 2015 | 126 | 204 | 273 | 1.6 | 78 |
| 2014 | 120 | 143 | 196 | 1.2 | 23 |
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.