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Secondary school offers in Lewisham: offer day 2027

National Offer Day Monday 1 March 2027 · 14 secondary schools · first-choice odds, waiting lists and appeals

How likely is a first choice here?

For September 2026 entry, 63.5% of families living in Lewisham were offered their first-choice secondary school, against 83.6% across England. 244 families (8.6%) were offered none of the schools they named. Lewisham ranks 5 of 150 councils in England, hardest first (see every council).

3 of its 14 secondary schools had more first-choice applications than places.

The most sought-after, by first-choice applications per place offered: Bonus Pastor Catholic College (1.8 per place), Prendergast School (1.4 per place), Prendergast Ladywell School (1.1 per place), Haberdashers' Hatcham College (1.0 per place), Sedgehill Academy (0.9 per place).

If you didn't get your first choice

  1. Accept the place you were offered by the date in your offer letter. Accepting it does not affect a waiting list or an appeal, and a place that isn't accepted can be withdrawn.
  2. Get on the waiting lists you want. Every school must keep one until at least 31 December of the year your child starts. It is ranked by the school's admission rules, not by when you joined, so a family moving closer can go above you. Some councils add you automatically for schools you ranked higher than the one offered; your offer letter says which.
  3. Decide whether to appeal. You can appeal for every school that refused your child. You get at least 20 school days from the offer to lodge it, and on-time appeals must be heard within 40 school days of that deadline. The figures below show how often appeals succeed here.
  4. Look at schools that took lower preferences. These are the likeliest to have room now.

Schools that took children who ranked them lower

For September 2026 entry these 11 schools offered more places than they had first-choice applications, so some went to families who put them second or lower. They are the likeliest to have room after offer day; ask Lewisham or the school.

Every secondary school: demand for 2026 entry

Sorted by first-choice applications per place, the most contested first.

SchoolPlaces offeredFirst choices per place First choices offered
Bonus Pastor Catholic College
Bromley
172 1.8 50%
Prendergast School
London
115 1.4 61%
Prendergast Ladywell School
Lewisham
110 1.1 62%
Haberdashers' Hatcham College
London
218 1.0 83%
Sedgehill Academy
London
176 0.9 73%
Sydenham School
London
235 0.9 82%
Deptford Green School
London
168 0.9 91%
St Matthew Academy
London
155 0.9 62%
Forest Hill School
London
168 0.8 79%
Addey and Stanhope School
London
85 0.7 100%
Trinity Church of England School, Lewisham
London
90 0.7 81%
Haberdashers' Knights Academy
Bromley
120 0.6 100%
Conisborough College
London
98 0.6 100%
Prendergast Vale School
London
64 0.6 100%

Places offered is the number of offers made on national offer day, and first choices offered the share of families who put the school first and got it (Department for Education, September 2026 entry).

Appeals in Lewisham

YearAppeals lodgedHeard by a panel UpheldShare of heard appeals upheld
2025/2685 41 6 14.6%
2024/25115 55 4 7.3%
2023/2458 37 5 13.5%

Secondary school appeals across all of Lewisham, from the Department for Education. Appeals are not published school by school. Across England in 2025/26, 19.5% of 27,084 secondary appeals heard were upheld. How appeal odds differ between councils.

More for Lewisham

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