The Gateway 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, 234 families put The Gateway Academy as their first choice and 433 named it as one of their preferences, for 208 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 38 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has risen from 161 in 2021 to 234 in 2026, while places went from 188 to 208.
Across Thurrock, 75% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 93% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Thurrock lodged 88 appeals against secondary school offers; 81 reached a hearing and 9 succeeded (11.1% 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 | 208 | 234 | 433 | 1.1 | 38 |
| 2025 | 205 | 221 | 456 | 1.1 | 32 |
| 2024 | 209 | 209 | 421 | 1.0 | 23 |
| 2023 | 210 | 179 | 408 | 0.9 | 15 |
| 2022 | 209 | 207 | 311 | 1.0 | 12 |
| 2021 | 188 | 161 | 273 | 0.9 | 2 |
| 2020 | 215 | 202 | 380 | 0.9 | 16 |
| 2019 | 238 | 159 | 297 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2018 | 210 | 185 | 349 | 0.9 | 2 |
| 2017 | 209 | 204 | 393 | 1.0 | 16 |
| 2016 | 207 | 218 | 384 | 1.1 | 23 |
| 2015 | 209 | 205 | 391 | 1.0 | 15 |
| 2014 | 208 | 172 | 354 | 0.8 | 1 |
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.