St Columba's Catholic Boys' 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, 84 families put St Columba's Catholic Boys' School as their first choice and 270 named it as one of their preferences, for 159 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 risen from 67 in 2021 to 84 in 2026, while places went from 169 to 159.
21% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Across Bexley, 68% 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 Bexley lodged 173 appeals against secondary school offers; 152 reached a hearing and 32 succeeded (21.1% 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 | 159 | 84 | 270 | 0.5 | 0 |
| 2025 | 135 | 77 | 270 | 0.6 | 0 |
| 2024 | 129 | 73 | 272 | 0.6 | 0 |
| 2023 | 137 | 82 | 291 | 0.6 | 0 |
| 2022 | 133 | 78 | 269 | 0.6 | 0 |
| 2021 | 169 | 67 | 314 | 0.4 | 0 |
| 2020 | 144 | 89 | 332 | 0.6 | 0 |
| 2019 | 157 | 86 | 318 | 0.5 | 0 |
| 2018 | 161 | 94 | 335 | 0.6 | 0 |
| 2017 | 115 | 77 | 284 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2016 | 155 | 97 | 316 | 0.6 | 0 |
| 2015 | 160 | 87 | 280 | 0.5 | 0 |
| 2014 | 74 | 50 | 216 | 0.7 | 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.