Secondary school offers in Manchester: offer day 2027

National Offer Day Monday 1 March 2027 · 32 secondary schools · first-choice odds, waiting lists and appeals

How likely is a first choice here?

For September 2026 entry, 77.1% of families living in Manchester were offered their first-choice secondary school, against 83.6% across England. 346 families (5.3%) were offered none of the schools they named. Manchester ranks 41 of 150 councils in England, hardest first (see every council).

14 of its 32 secondary schools had more first-choice applications than places.

The most sought-after, by first-choice applications per place offered: William Hulme's Grammar School (1.9 per place), Saint Paul's Catholic High School (1.8 per place), Didsbury High School (1.8 per place), Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Manchester (1.6 per place), Co-op Academy Belle Vue (1.6 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 Accepting it does not affect a waiting list or an appeal, and a place that isn't accepted can be withdrawn.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 18 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 Manchester or the school.

• Abraham Moss Community School Manchester
• Burnage Academy for Boys Manchester
• Cedar Mount Academy Gorton
• CHS South Manchester
• Co-op Academy Manchester Manchester
• Dean Trust Ardwick Manchester
• Dixons Brooklands Academy Manchester
• Dixons Newall Green Academy Manchester
• Loreto High School Chorlton Manchester
• Manchester Academy Manchester
• Manchester Communication Academy Manchester
• Manchester Enterprise Academy Wythenshawe
• Manchester Enterprise Academy Central Manchester
• Parrs Wood High School Manchester
• St Matthew's RC High School Manchester
• The Barlow RC High School Manchester
• The East Manchester Academy Manchester
• Whalley Range 11-18 High School Manchester

Every secondary school: demand for 2026 entry

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

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 Manchester

Secondary school appeals across all of Manchester, 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 Manchester

• Every school in Manchester, with catchment areas and Ofsted
• Starting school in Manchester
• Map of schools near your home, with your chance of a place where we have the data