The Derby 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, 210 families put The Derby High School as their first choice and 445 named it as one of their preferences, for 181 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 32 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has fallen from 277 in 2021 to 210 in 2026, while places went from 180 to 181.
Across Bury, 91% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Bury lodged 265 appeals against secondary school offers; 158 reached a hearing and 46 succeeded (29.1% 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 | 181 | 210 | 445 | 1.2 | 32 |
| 2025 | 177 | 209 | 471 | 1.2 | 38 |
| 2024 | 179 | 253 | 465 | 1.4 | 86 |
| 2023 | 202 | 256 | 507 | 1.3 | 73 |
| 2022 | 190 | 247 | 452 | 1.3 | 68 |
| 2021 | 180 | 277 | 483 | 1.5 | 118 |
| 2020 | 187 | 244 | 478 | 1.3 | 76 |
| 2019 | 180 | 231 | 418 | 1.3 | 85 |
| 2018 | 186 | 193 | 345 | 1.0 | 41 |
| 2017 | 200 | 169 | 327 | 0.8 | 20 |
| 2016 | 209 | 187 | 305 | 0.9 | 4 |
| 2015 | 180 | 150 | 255 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2014 | 178 | 160 | 278 | 0.9 | 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.