The Whitehaven 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, 180 families put The Whitehaven Academy as their first choice and 356 named it as one of their preferences, for 170 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 11 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has risen from 87 in 2021 to 180 in 2026, while places went from 98 to 170.
Across Cumberland, 95% 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 Cumberland lodged 93 appeals against secondary school offers; 64 reached a hearing and 38 succeeded (59.4% 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 | 170 | 180 | 356 | 1.1 | 11 |
| 2025 | 169 | 166 | 361 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 174 | 206 | 337 | 1.2 | 32 |
| 2023 | 173 | 169 | 315 | 1.0 | 2 |
| 2022 | 169 | 122 | 302 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2021 | 98 | 87 | 199 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2020 | 128 | 116 | 211 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2019 | 134 | 80 | 164 | 0.6 | 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.