The Russell 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, 48 families put The Russell School as their first choice and 117 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. That is 1.7 first choices for every place. 19 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has risen from 25 in 2021 to 48 in 2026, while places went from 30 to 29.
19% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Across Hertfordshire, 89% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Hertfordshire lodged 378 appeals against primary school offers; 177 reached a hearing and 18 succeeded (10.2% 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 | 29 | 48 | 117 | 1.7 | 19 |
| 2025 | 29 | 42 | 100 | 1.4 | 13 |
| 2024 | 30 | 34 | 100 | 1.1 | 4 |
| 2023 | 26 | 21 | 72 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2022 | 30 | 28 | 102 | 0.9 | 4 |
| 2021 | 30 | 25 | 90 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2020 | 30 | 28 | 78 | 0.9 | 3 |
| 2019 | 30 | 22 | 83 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2018 | 20 | 17 | 62 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2017 | 30 | 17 | 82 | 0.6 | 0 |
| 2016 | 24 | 17 | 81 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2015 | 30 | 35 | 97 | 1.2 | 7 |
| 2014 | 30 | 38 | 100 | 1.3 | 9 |
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.