Star Academy, Sandyford: 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, 6 families put Star Academy, Sandyford as their first choice and 11 named it as one of their preferences, for 12 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 21 in 2021 to 6 in 2026, while places went from 22 to 12.
Across Stoke-on-Trent, 94% 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 Stoke-on-Trent lodged 61 appeals against primary school offers; 47 reached a hearing and 12 succeeded (25.5% 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 | 12 | 6 | 11 | 0.5 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 10 | - | 0 |
| 2024 | 14 | 14 | 21 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 12 | 12 | 23 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 20 | 19 | 31 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2021 | 22 | 21 | 30 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 30 | 21 | 31 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2019 | 29 | 21 | 34 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2018 | 30 | 12 | 30 | 0.4 | 0 |
| 2017 | 29 | 29 | 45 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 2016 | 30 | 25 | 39 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2015 | 30 | 26 | 40 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2014 | 25 | 24 | 34 | 1.0 | 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.