Whalley Range 11-18 High 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, 187 families put Whalley Range 11-18 High School as their first choice and 547 named it as one of their preferences, for 252 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: 193 first choices in 2021, against 187 in 2026.
Across Manchester, 77% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 95% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Manchester lodged 503 appeals against secondary school offers; 368 reached a hearing and 60 succeeded (16.3% 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 | 252 | 187 | 547 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2025 | 252 | 192 | 598 | 0.8 | 8 |
| 2024 | 266 | 216 | 652 | 0.8 | 24 |
| 2023 | 261 | 190 | 629 | 0.7 | 11 |
| 2022 | 269 | 225 | 577 | 0.8 | 16 |
| 2021 | 268 | 193 | 567 | 0.7 | 10 |
| 2020 | 269 | 214 | 635 | 0.8 | 18 |
| 2019 | 269 | 204 | 610 | 0.8 | 17 |
| 2018 | 270 | 241 | 655 | 0.9 | 46 |
| 2017 | 260 | 299 | 743 | 1.1 | 106 |
| 2016 | 266 | 251 | 669 | 0.9 | 66 |
| 2015 | 270 | 247 | 638 | 0.9 | 50 |
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.