Ricards Lodge 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, 193 families put Ricards Lodge High School as their first choice and 744 named it as one of their preferences, for 266 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.
First-choice demand has fallen from 230 in 2021 to 193 in 2026, while places went from 263 to 266.
33% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Merton published that the last place offered for 2026 entry went to a family 3801 metres away. The cut-off moves every year with the number of applications.
Across Merton, 67% 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 Merton lodged 61 appeals against secondary school offers; 46 reached a hearing and 9 succeeded (19.6% 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 | 266 | 193 | 744 | 0.7 | 34 |
| 2025 | 254 | 232 | 815 | 0.9 | 53 |
| 2024 | 260 | 244 | 828 | 0.9 | 52 |
| 2023 | 263 | 245 | 784 | 0.9 | 62 |
| 2022 | 264 | 223 | 775 | 0.8 | 42 |
| 2021 | 263 | 230 | 834 | 0.9 | 65 |
| 2020 | 265 | 255 | 841 | 1.0 | 74 |
| 2019 | 260 | 241 | 859 | 0.9 | 80 |
| 2018 | 238 | 229 | 807 | 1.0 | 78 |
| 2017 | 234 | 179 | 772 | 0.8 | 48 |
| 2016 | 237 | 224 | 750 | 0.9 | 65 |
| 2015 | 242 | 194 | 717 | 0.8 | 37 |
| 2014 | 233 | 188 | 684 | 0.8 | 47 |
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
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.