Reading School: admissions history
How many families applied, how many places there were, and how far the last place went - every year we hold.
Reading School 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, 400 families put Reading School as their first choice and 492 named it as one of their preferences, for 146 places offered. That is 2.7 first choices for every place. 259 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has fallen from 523 in 2021 to 400 in 2026.
60% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Across Reading, 73% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 95% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Reading lodged 100 appeals against secondary school offers; 63 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 | 146 | 400 | 492 | 2.7 | 259 |
| 2025 | 146 | 360 | 448 | 2.5 | 218 |
| 2024 | 146 | 423 | 524 | 2.9 | 282 |
| 2023 | 148 | 384 | 498 | 2.6 | 242 |
| 2022 | 147 | 404 | 503 | 2.7 | 262 |
| 2021 | 146 | 523 | 696 | 3.6 | 382 |
| 2020 | 146 | 262 | 337 | 1.8 | 118 |
| 2019 | 149 | 267 | 344 | 1.8 | 123 |
| 2018 | 148 | 238 | 309 | 1.6 | 95 |
| 2017 | 150 | 238 | 299 | 1.6 | 90 |
| 2016 | 143 | 230 | 310 | 1.6 | 90 |
| 2015 | 115 | 212 | 301 | 1.8 | 98 |
| 2014 | 108 | 241 | 333 | 2.2 | 139 |
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.