Sharples Primary 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, 19 families put Sharples Primary School as their first choice and 64 named it as one of their preferences, for 24 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 24 in 2021 to 19 in 2026, while places went from 30 to 24.
Across Bolton, 89% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 97% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Bolton lodged 234 appeals against primary school offers; 194 reached a hearing and 26 succeeded (13.4% 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 | 24 | 19 | 64 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2025 | 28 | 21 | 70 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2024 | 30 | 21 | 59 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2023 | 30 | 34 | 60 | 1.1 | 6 |
| 2022 | 25 | 21 | 70 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2021 | 30 | 24 | 62 | 0.8 | 5 |
| 2020 | 21 | 15 | 54 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2019 | 18 | 13 | 50 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2018 | 27 | 18 | 59 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2017 | 28 | 21 | 53 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2016 | 24 | 17 | 69 | 0.7 | 1 |
| 2015 | 25 | 23 | 65 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2014 | 26 | 21 | 64 | 0.8 | 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.