The Joseph Whitaker 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, 296 families put The Joseph Whitaker School as their first choice and 570 named it as one of their preferences, for 243 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 56 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Demand has been fairly steady: 289 first choices in 2021, against 296 in 2026.
Across Nottinghamshire, 92% 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 Nottinghamshire lodged 478 appeals against secondary school offers; 394 reached a hearing and 131 succeeded (33.2% 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 | 243 | 296 | 570 | 1.2 | 56 |
| 2025 | 242 | 241 | 517 | 1.0 | 6 |
| 2024 | 242 | 238 | 506 | 1.0 | 1 |
| 2023 | 242 | 256 | 510 | 1.1 | 16 |
| 2022 | 235 | 263 | 500 | 1.1 | 29 |
| 2021 | 245 | 289 | 497 | 1.2 | 45 |
| 2020 | 244 | 251 | 465 | 1.0 | 11 |
| 2019 | 244 | 252 | 442 | 1.0 | 14 |
| 2018 | 244 | 247 | 388 | 1.0 | 11 |
| 2017 | 241 | 263 | 366 | 1.1 | 27 |
| 2016 | 211 | 208 | 320 | 1.0 | 3 |
| 2015 | 211 | 220 | 312 | 1.0 | 13 |
| 2014 | 210 | 219 | 320 | 1.0 | 10 |
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.