Shipbourne 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, 15 families put Shipbourne School as their first choice and 45 named it as one of their preferences, for 9 places offered. That is 1.7 first choices for every place. 7 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has risen from 9 in 2021 to 15 in 2026, while places went from 8 to 9.
Across Kent, 90% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Kent lodged 311 appeals against primary school offers; 223 reached a hearing and 22 succeeded (9.9% 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 | 9 | 15 | 45 | 1.7 | 7 |
| 2025 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 7 | 7 | 42 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 6 | 6 | 36 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 9 | 12 | 39 | 1.3 | 4 |
| 2021 | 8 | 9 | 33 | 1.1 | 1 |
| 2020 | 8 | 8 | 37 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 8 | 5 | 38 | 0.6 | 0 |
| 2018 | 9 | 5 | 37 | 0.6 | 0 |
| 2017 | 8 | 6 | 43 | 0.8 | 1 |
| 2016 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2015 | 8 | 8 | 36 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 8 | 8 | 32 | 1.0 | 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.