Saint Benedict, A Catholic Voluntary Academy: 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, 202 families put Saint Benedict, A Catholic Voluntary Academy as their first choice and 522 named it as one of their preferences, for 242 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: 204 first choices in 2021, against 202 in 2026.
Across Derby, 82% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 96% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Derby lodged 374 appeals against secondary school offers; 309 reached a hearing and 65 succeeded (21% 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 | 242 | 202 | 522 | 0.8 | 20 |
| 2025 | 244 | 213 | 500 | 0.9 | 24 |
| 2024 | 290 | 173 | 391 | 0.6 | 0 |
| 2023 | 273 | 168 | 422 | 0.6 | 1 |
| 2022 | 234 | 170 | 409 | 0.7 | 2 |
| 2021 | 243 | 204 | 452 | 0.8 | 22 |
| 2020 | 240 | 193 | 406 | 0.8 | 18 |
| 2019 | 234 | 188 | 392 | 0.8 | 12 |
| 2018 | 242 | 178 | 365 | 0.7 | 8 |
| 2017 | 237 | 172 | 355 | 0.7 | 6 |
| 2016 | 230 | 177 | 366 | 0.8 | 1 |
| 2015 | 234 | 178 | 373 | 0.8 | 1 |
| 2014 | 203 | 163 | 328 | 0.8 | 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.