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Secondary school offers in Shropshire: offer day 2027

National Offer Day Monday 1 March 2027 · 20 secondary schools · first-choice odds, waiting lists and appeals

How likely is a first choice here?

For September 2026 entry, 91.0% of families living in Shropshire were offered their first-choice secondary school, against 83.6% across England. 36 families (1.3%) were offered none of the schools they named. Shropshire ranks 114 of 150 councils in England, hardest first (see every council).

5 of its 20 secondary schools had more first-choice applications than places.

The most sought-after, by first-choice applications per place offered: The Priory School (1.4 per place), Bridgnorth Endowed School (1.2 per place), The Thomas Adams School (1.1 per place), St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community) (1.1 per place), The Corbet School (1.1 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 Accepting it does not affect a waiting list or an appeal, and a place that isn't accepted can be withdrawn.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 14 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 Shropshire 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
The Priory School
Shrewsbury
168 1.4 71%
Bridgnorth Endowed School
Bridgnorth
123 1.2 82%
The Thomas Adams School
Shrewsbury
207 1.1 86%
St Martins School (3-16 Learning Community)
Oswestry
49 1.1 91%
The Corbet School
Shrewsbury
153 1.1 91%
Belvidere School
Shrewsbury
168 1.0 89%
The Community College, Bishop's Castle
Bishops Castle
45 1.0 100%
Ludlow Church of England School
Ludlow
118 1.0 100%
The Marches School
Oswestry
204 1.0 100%
The Lacon Childe School
Kidderminster
99 1.0 100%
Lakelands Academy
Ellesmere
113 0.9 100%
The Grove School
Market Drayton
150 0.9 100%
William Brookes School
Much Wenlock
123 0.9 97%
Church Stretton School
Church Stretton
117 0.9 100%
Mary Webb School and Science College
Shrewsbury
115 0.9 100%
Sir John Talbot's School
Whitchurch
141 0.9 100%
Idsall School
Shifnal
197 0.9 98%
Shrewsbury Academy
Shrewsbury
139 0.8 100%
Meole Brace School
Shrewsbury
270 0.7 100%
Oldbury Wells School
Bridgnorth
154 0.7 100%

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 Shropshire

YearAppeals lodgedHeard by a panel UpheldShare of heard appeals upheld
2025/2689 60 19 31.7%
2024/25143 75 22 29.3%
2023/24255 131 29 22.1%

Secondary school appeals across all of Shropshire, 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 Shropshire

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