The Marches 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, 197 families put The Marches School as their first choice and 243 named it as one of their preferences, for 204 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.
Demand has been fairly steady: 214 first choices in 2021, against 197 in 2026.
Across Shropshire, 91% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 99% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Shropshire lodged 143 appeals against secondary school offers; 75 reached a hearing and 22 succeeded (29.3% 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 | 204 | 197 | 243 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 191 | 191 | 243 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 237 | 208 | 270 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2023 | 183 | 167 | 235 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2022 | 218 | 216 | 261 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 222 | 214 | 249 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 237 | 200 | 240 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2019 | 238 | 232 | 272 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 241 | 240 | 267 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 212 | 212 | 251 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 250 | 250 | 277 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 206 | 201 | 239 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 234 | 231 | 267 | 1.0 | 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.