The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary, Arnold: 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, 71 families put The Good Shepherd Catholic Primary, Arnold as their first choice and 151 named it as one of their preferences, for 69 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.
First-choice demand has risen from 51 in 2021 to 71 in 2026, while places went from 57 to 69.
29% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Across Nottinghamshire, 99% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 100% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Nottinghamshire lodged 213 appeals against primary school offers; 127 reached a hearing and 23 succeeded (18.1% 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 | 69 | 71 | 151 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 2025 | 60 | 66 | 138 | 1.1 | 7 |
| 2024 | 60 | 66 | 141 | 1.1 | 6 |
| 2023 | 59 | 61 | 116 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 2022 | 53 | 48 | 131 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2021 | 57 | 51 | 129 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2020 | 60 | 50 | 138 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2019 | 59 | 52 | 153 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2018 | 60 | 55 | 159 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2017 | 58 | 52 | 141 | 0.9 | 1 |
| 2016 | 60 | 68 | 177 | 1.1 | 13 |
| 2015 | 50 | 64 | 186 | 1.3 | 19 |
| 2014 | 50 | 58 | 150 | 1.2 | 13 |
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.