The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High 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, 219 families put The Bishops' Blue Coat Church of England High School as their first choice and 599 named it as one of their preferences, for 202 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 20 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Demand has been fairly steady: 216 first choices in 2021, against 219 in 2026.
Across Cheshire West and Chester, 95% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Cheshire West and Chester lodged 90 appeals against secondary school offers; 70 reached a hearing and 22 succeeded (31.4% 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 | 202 | 219 | 599 | 1.1 | 20 |
| 2025 | 202 | 224 | 674 | 1.1 | 28 |
| 2024 | 209 | 213 | 624 | 1.0 | 10 |
| 2023 | 206 | 253 | 663 | 1.2 | 60 |
| 2022 | 208 | 193 | 565 | 0.9 | 12 |
| 2021 | 196 | 216 | 635 | 1.1 | 35 |
| 2020 | 209 | 231 | 616 | 1.1 | 30 |
| 2019 | 209 | 169 | 600 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2018 | 170 | 175 | 561 | 1.0 | 29 |
| 2017 | 165 | 145 | 523 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2016 | 162 | 179 | 570 | 1.1 | 25 |
| 2015 | 172 | 200 | 540 | 1.2 | 37 |
| 2014 | 169 | 170 | 480 | 1.0 | 11 |
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.