Sharples 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, 344 families put Sharples School as their first choice and 826 named it as one of their preferences, for 235 places offered. That is 1.5 first choices for every place. 109 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has risen from 272 in 2021 to 344 in 2026, while places went from 238 to 235.
Across Bolton, 87% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 97% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Bolton lodged 319 appeals against secondary school offers; 290 reached a hearing and 63 succeeded (21.7% 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 | 235 | 344 | 826 | 1.5 | 109 |
| 2025 | 234 | 355 | 821 | 1.5 | 131 |
| 2024 | 241 | 328 | 793 | 1.4 | 100 |
| 2023 | 238 | 305 | 775 | 1.3 | 92 |
| 2022 | 240 | 304 | 778 | 1.3 | 87 |
| 2021 | 238 | 272 | 781 | 1.1 | 67 |
| 2020 | 237 | 280 | 745 | 1.2 | 82 |
| 2019 | 232 | 251 | 635 | 1.1 | 69 |
| 2018 | 236 | 209 | 504 | 0.9 | 12 |
| 2017 | 202 | 198 | 471 | 1.0 | 21 |
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.