Stewards Academy - Science Specialist, Harlow: 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, 142 families put Stewards Academy - Science Specialist, Harlow as their first choice and 283 named it as one of their preferences, for 171 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.
Demand has been fairly steady: 161 first choices in 2021, against 142 in 2026.
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 | 171 | 142 | 283 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2025 | 176 | 135 | 296 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2024 | 210 | 168 | 383 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2023 | 166 | 151 | 352 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2022 | 183 | 148 | 372 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2021 | 188 | 161 | 390 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2020 | 208 | 233 | 502 | 1.1 | 31 |
| 2019 | 199 | 264 | 522 | 1.3 | 80 |
| 2018 | 223 | 229 | 509 | 1.0 | 17 |
| 2017 | 203 | 216 | 453 | 1.1 | 26 |
| 2016 | 201 | 210 | 484 | 1.0 | 24 |
| 2015 | 205 | 207 | 468 | 1.0 | 29 |
| 2014 | 208 | 187 | 484 | 0.9 | 10 |
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.