R A Butler Infant 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, 87 families put R A Butler Infant School as their first choice and 176 named it as one of their preferences, for 87 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.
Demand has been fairly steady: 84 first choices in 2021, against 87 in 2026.
Across Essex, 90% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Essex lodged 371 appeals against primary school offers; 225 reached a hearing and 35 succeeded (15.6% 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 | 87 | 87 | 176 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 90 | 111 | 186 | 1.2 | 21 |
| 2024 | 90 | 87 | 189 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 2023 | 90 | 95 | 183 | 1.1 | 14 |
| 2022 | 90 | 84 | 176 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2021 | 86 | 84 | 174 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 90 | 83 | 183 | 0.9 | 11 |
| 2019 | 66 | 66 | 150 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 71 | 60 | 161 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2017 | 87 | 71 | 175 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2016 | 69 | 64 | 167 | 0.9 | 1 |
| 2015 | 90 | 68 | 175 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2014 | 75 | 69 | 186 | 0.9 | 0 |
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.