The Excel Academy: 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, 271 families put The Excel Academy as their first choice and 540 named it as one of their preferences, for 238 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 44 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has fallen from 322 in 2021 to 271 in 2026, while places went from 237 to 238.
Across Stoke-on-Trent, 89% 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 Stoke-on-Trent lodged 259 appeals against secondary school offers; 191 reached a hearing and 51 succeeded (26.7% 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 | 238 | 271 | 540 | 1.1 | 44 |
| 2025 | 233 | 310 | 567 | 1.3 | 83 |
| 2024 | 237 | 318 | 606 | 1.3 | 88 |
| 2023 | 236 | 332 | 627 | 1.4 | 100 |
| 2022 | 238 | 328 | 617 | 1.4 | 95 |
| 2021 | 237 | 322 | 631 | 1.4 | 86 |
| 2020 | 232 | 298 | 592 | 1.3 | 73 |
| 2019 | 206 | 306 | 523 | 1.5 | 106 |
| 2018 | 207 | 298 | 502 | 1.4 | 106 |
| 2017 | 204 | 218 | 382 | 1.1 | 27 |
| 2016 | 238 | 218 | 444 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2015 | 188 | 178 | 344 | 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.