Secondary school offers in Newcastle upon Tyne: offer day 2027
National Offer Day Monday 1 March 2027 · 11 secondary schools · first-choice odds, waiting lists and appeals
How likely is a first choice here?
For September 2026 entry, 79.0% of families living in Newcastle upon Tyne were offered their first-choice secondary school, against 83.6% across England. 172 families (6.6%) were offered none of the schools they named. Newcastle upon Tyne ranks 49 of 150 councils in England, hardest first (see every council).
4 of its 11 secondary schools had more first-choice applications than places.
The most sought-after, by first-choice applications per place offered: St Mary's Catholic School (1.8 per place), Sacred Heart Catholic High School (1.4 per place), Walker Riverside Academy (1.3 per place), Jesmond Park Academy (1.1 per place), Callerton Academy (1.0 per place).
If you didn't get your first choice
- 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 Accepting it does not affect a waiting list or an appeal, and a place that isn't accepted can be withdrawn.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 7 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 Newcastle upon Tyne or the school.
- Benfield School Newcastle-upon-Tyne
- Callerton Academy Newcastle-upon-Tyne
- Excelsior Academy Newcastle-upon-Tyne
- Kenton School Newcastle-upon-Tyne
- St Cuthbert's High School Newcastle-upon-Tyne
- Studio West Newcastle-upon-Tyne
- Walbottle Academy Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Every secondary school: demand for 2026 entry
Sorted by first-choice applications per place, the most contested first.
| School | Places offered | First choices per place | First choices offered |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Catholic School Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
225 | 1.8 | 53% |
| Sacred Heart Catholic High School Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
225 | 1.4 | 65% |
| Walker Riverside Academy Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
219 | 1.3 | 74% |
| Jesmond Park Academy Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
330 | 1.1 | 75% |
| Callerton Academy Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
240 | 1.0 | 91% |
| St Cuthbert's High School Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
220 | 0.9 | 81% |
| Walbottle Academy Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
331 | 0.9 | 97% |
| Excelsior Academy Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
240 | 0.7 | 100% |
| Studio West Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
90 | 0.6 | 100% |
| Kenton School Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
272 | 0.6 | 100% |
| Benfield School Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
159 | 0.3 | 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 Newcastle upon Tyne
| Year | Appeals lodged | Heard by a panel | Upheld | Share of heard appeals upheld |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 154 | 131 | 71 | 54.2% |
| 2024/25 | 231 | 203 | 59 | 29.1% |
| 2023/24 | 163 | 146 | 24 | 16.4% |
Secondary school appeals across all of Newcastle upon Tyne, 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 Newcastle upon Tyne
- Every school in Newcastle upon Tyne, with catchment areas and Ofsted
- Starting school in Newcastle upon Tyne
- Map of schools near your home, with your chance of a place where we have the data
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