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Secondary school offers in Southwark: offer day 2027

National Offer Day Monday 1 March 2027 · 19 secondary schools · first-choice odds, waiting lists and appeals

How likely is a first choice here?

For September 2026 entry, 72.1% of families living in Southwark were offered their first-choice secondary school, against 83.6% across England. 102 families (4.1%) were offered none of the schools they named. Southwark ranks 23 of 150 councils in England, hardest first (see every council).

5 of its 19 secondary schools had more first-choice applications than places.

The most sought-after, by first-choice applications per place offered: Kingsdale Foundation School (2.3 per place), Sacred Heart Catholic School (2.1 per place), The Charter School North Dulwich (2.0 per place), St Michael's Catholic College (1.3 per place), The St Thomas the Apostle College (1.2 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 Accepting it does not affect a waiting list or an appeal, and a place that isn't accepted can be withdrawn.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 Southwark 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
Kingsdale Foundation School
London
416 2.3 35%
Sacred Heart Catholic School
London
115 2.1 43%
The Charter School North Dulwich
London
178 2.0 46%
St Michael's Catholic College
London
150 1.3 64%
The St Thomas the Apostle College
London
150 1.2 65%
City of London Academy (Southwark)
London
240 0.9 93%
The Charter School East Dulwich
London
231 0.9 64%
Bacon's College
London
185 0.8 99%
Harris Academy Bermondsey
London
115 0.8 100%
Haberdashers' Borough Academy
London
180 0.8 95%
Harris Boys' Academy East Dulwich
London
150 0.8 75%
The Charter School Bermondsey
London
110 0.7 100%
Ark Walworth Academy
London
130 0.7 100%
Ark Globe Academy
London
81 0.7 100%
Harris Girls' Academy East Dulwich
London
140 0.7 92%
Ark All Saints Academy
London
104 0.6 100%
Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School
London
31 0.6 100%
St Saviour's and St Olave's Church of England School
London
66 0.4 100%
Harris Academy Peckham
London
114 0.4 100%

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 Southwark

YearAppeals lodgedHeard by a panel UpheldShare of heard appeals upheld
2025/26197 182 28 15.4%
2024/25164 152 33 21.7%
2023/24230 213 24 11.3%

Secondary school appeals across all of Southwark, 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 Southwark

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