Understanding school admissions figures
Many of our school pages show figures from the last admissions round: how many places a school had, how many families applied, how many offers were made and, for some schools, how far away the last child offered a place lived. This guide explains what each term means and how to use the figures sensibly when choosing schools.
Where our figures come from
For schools in England, our pages show the Department for Education's applications and offers statistics, published each June for the September intake. Where a council publishes its own allocation figures, we show those as well, for example the number of places, the oversubscription criterion under which the last place was offered and the last distance offered. Each set of figures is linked to its source, so you can check the original document.
The figures describe what happened in a past round. They do not predict what will happen for your child.
PAN: published admission number
Every admission authority must set an admission number for each entry year, such as Reception or Year 7. This is usually called the published admission number, or PAN. It is the number of places the school will offer in that year group in the normal admissions round.
If fewer children apply than the PAN allows, every applicant must be offered a place. A school can choose to admit more children than its PAN, and some do. The PAN applies to the entry year only, not to other year groups.
Applications and first preferences
In the Department for Education figures, applications count the number of times a school was named as a preference on any family's application form. One family can name several schools, so a single child may appear in the applications total of three or more schools.
First preferences count only the families who put the school first. This is often a better guide to demand than total applications. The figures include applicants who live in other council areas.
A high number of applications compared with the PAN does not on its own mean the school turned children away. Many of those applicants may have been offered a school they ranked higher.
Offers
Offers are the places offered on national offer day. The Department for Education counts every offer made that day, whether or not the family later accepted it. Its school-level offers figures do not include children whose education, health and care plan names the school. Offers are not the same as the number of places available, and the final number of children who start in September is often different, as families accept, decline or move.
The figures also show how many offers went to first-preference applicants. If almost every offer went to first preferences, the school may have filled before it reached lower preferences.
What "oversubscribed" means
A school is oversubscribed when it has more applications than places, so it must use its oversubscription criteria to decide who is offered one. If it is not oversubscribed, every applicant must be offered a place.
The clearest sign that a school was oversubscribed is council allocation data showing the criterion under which the last place was offered. If places ran out partway through the distance criterion, for example, every child in higher priority groups was offered a place, and children further away in that group were not.
Last distance offered
Many councils publish the furthest distance offered, sometimes called the last distance offered. This is the home-to-school distance of the last child offered a place under the distance criterion on offer day. It applies only to children in that criterion. Children with higher priority, such as looked-after children or siblings, may have been offered places from further away.
Some councils show the distance for each criterion, and some show it only for oversubscribed schools. A blank distance does not always mean everyone was offered a place, so read the council's notes alongside the figure.
Straight-line and walking distance
Each admission authority must say in its arrangements how it measures distance and how it decides a child's home address. Most use straight-line distance, sometimes described as "as the crow flies", usually from a fixed point at the home to a fixed point at the school. Others use the shortest walking route, measured along roads and footpaths.
These methods can give quite different results. A road, river or railway can make the walking route much longer than the straight line. When you compare your own distance with a published figure, use the same method the school uses. Distances shown elsewhere on our pages, such as from your postcode, are straight-line estimates and may not match the admission authority's calculation.
Why the last distance changes each year
The last distance offered depends on who applied that year, so it can move a long way from one year to the next. Common reasons include:
- the number of children in the area of that age, which rises and falls with birth rates and house building
- how many applicants had siblings at the school or met other higher criteria
- a change to the PAN, or a one-off extra class
- changes to the school's admission arrangements or catchment area
- changes in the popularity of the school or of nearby schools, for example after a new inspection or a new school opening
- where applicants happen to live, especially when many families live at a similar distance
A guide, not a guarantee
Living inside last year's last distance offered does not guarantee a place, and living outside it does not rule one out. Distances on offer day can also shrink or grow later as waiting lists move. Use the figures to understand how competitive a school has been, read the school's current admission arrangements, and name a realistic spread of schools on your application, including at least one where your child has a strong chance of a place.
If you are unsure how a figure was worked out, check the linked source or contact the council's admissions team.
Sources: Department for Education: Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Department for Education: Applications and offers methodology, Department for Education: School Admissions Code 2021, GOV.UK: Admission criteria, GOV.UK: School waiting lists