More than 90 per cent of Year 6 pupils in Hampshire offered first preference secondary school  

Of those who applied for a Year 7 place (for September 2026) by the application deadline, 90.09 per cent have been offered a place at their first preference school. The County Council received 13,880 on-time applications this year – a decrease of 350 applications compared to the number received for places in September 2025 (14,230).

Councillor Steve Forster, Executive Member for Education, said: “A huge thank you to our admissions team who continue to do an incredible job year on year, processing thousands of applications and working hard to accommodate parents’ preferences as far as possible.  

“For those who didn’t get a place at their preferred school, please do check our website where you’ll find information about the support available in this situation.”

Pupils who did not secure a place at one of their three preferences have been allocated a place at their catchment school or the next nearest available school. Parents have the right to appeal in these situations and their child’s name will be added to the waiting list for any schools for which they receive a refusal. Places can become available via the waiting list for various reasons including parents changing their mind, or families moving home.

Parents who applied online have been notified of their offers by email. They can also view their offer by logging into the secure, online portal using the same log-in details provided when making their online application. Those parents who applied on paper, and did not provide an email address, have been notified by post and should receive their letters in two to three days.

Information including Frequently Asked Questions to help with parents’ queries can be found on the Admissions webpages. This includes information on school transport assistance which may be available in certain circumstances, where the national eligibility criteria are met.

The Admissions Team is now busy processing primary school applications with school place offers due to go out to parents on 16 April 2026.