Watling 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, 380 families put Watling Academy as their first choice and 1006 named it as one of their preferences, for 351 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 75 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has risen from 181 in 2021 to 380 in 2026, while places went from 266 to 351.
Across Milton Keynes, 82% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 97% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Milton Keynes lodged 262 appeals against secondary school offers; 224 reached a hearing and 38 succeeded (17% 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 | 351 | 380 | 1006 | 1.1 | 75 |
| 2025 | 356 | 375 | 1093 | 1.1 | 77 |
| 2024 | 299 | 444 | 1188 | 1.5 | 172 |
| 2023 | 326 | 323 | 980 | 1.0 | 67 |
| 2022 | 352 | 279 | 910 | 0.8 | 28 |
| 2021 | 266 | 181 | 545 | 0.7 | 1 |
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.