St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford: 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, 187 families put St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford as their first choice and 645 named it as one of their preferences, for 182 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 145 in 2021 to 187 in 2026, while places went from 190 to 182.
Across Essex, 83% 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 Essex lodged 807 appeals against secondary school offers; 645 reached a hearing and 99 succeeded (15.3% 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 | 182 | 187 | 645 | 1.0 | 54 |
| 2025 | 182 | 176 | 622 | 1.0 | 40 |
| 2024 | 185 | 178 | 607 | 1.0 | 42 |
| 2023 | 188 | 159 | 560 | 0.8 | 15 |
| 2022 | 190 | 210 | 539 | 1.1 | 47 |
| 2021 | 190 | 145 | 450 | 0.8 | 1 |
| 2020 | 188 | 184 | 565 | 1.0 | 29 |
| 2019 | 188 | 146 | 468 | 0.8 | 3 |
| 2018 | 186 | 144 | 574 | 0.8 | 10 |
| 2017 | 189 | 169 | 625 | 0.9 | 19 |
| 2016 | 188 | 168 | 590 | 0.9 | 22 |
| 2015 | 185 | 168 | 544 | 0.9 | 16 |
| 2014 | 185 | 161 | 582 | 0.9 | 14 |
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.