Primary school admission appeals heard by council (number), England
The number of admission appeals for primary school places heard by an appeals panel, for each local authority in England as the Department for Education publishes them, with its regions and England, in the latest two reporting years, from the Department for Education.
England
7,627
2026
Latest check failed – showing figures verified against source 7 November 2026, 06:53 UTC- 2026
- 2025
Source: Department for Education. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence.
In order
Ranked by the hub 2026
Every place, the highest figure first. The number before each is the hub's own position in the list, not the publisher's: equal figures share one, marked =.
- 1Lancashire259
- 2Essex241
- 3Derby223
- 4Nottingham197
- 5Birmingham179
- 6Kent166
- 7Hertfordshire155
- 8Coventry150
- 9Nottinghamshire149
- =10Hampshire146
- =10Warwickshire146
- 12West Sussex139
- 13Wigan136
- 14Surrey135
- 15Gloucestershire131
- 16Sheffield, its area before 1 April 2025127
- 17Kirklees125
- 18Bolton113
- 19Derbyshire108
- 20Leeds107
- 21Cambridgeshire106
- =22Kingston upon Hull, City of99
- =22Wolverhampton99
- 24Oldham93
- 25Rochdale87
- 26Sefton85
- =27Liverpool83
- =27Slough83
- 29Wakefield82
- 30Bradford81
- 31Milton Keynes80
- 32Oxfordshire79
- =33Havering75
- =33Rotherham75
- 35Newham72
- =36Barking and Dagenham71
- =36Lincolnshire71
- 38Luton67
- 39Leicestershire66
- 40Blackburn with Darwen63
- 41Buckinghamshire61
- 42Central Bedfordshire60
- =43Ealing58
- =43Leicester58
- 45Doncaster56
- =46Redbridge55
- =46Sandwell55
- =48North Yorkshire53
- =48Salford53
- =48Staffordshire53
- =51East Riding of Yorkshire51
- =51Norfolk51
- 53Somerset49
- 54Tameside47
- =55North Northamptonshire46
- =55Peterborough46
- =57Dudley45
- =57Wandsworth45
- 59Trafford44
- 60Barnsley, its area before 1 April 202543
- =61East Sussex42
- =61Lambeth42
- =61Reading42
- =64Bury41
- =64Manchester41
- =66South Tyneside40
- =66Waltham Forest40
- =68Stoke-on-Trent38
- =68Wokingham38
- =70Knowsley37
- =70Medway37
- =70Telford and Wrekin37
- =70Windsor and Maidenhead37
- =74North Tyneside34
- =74Suffolk34
- =76Haringey33
- =76Stockport33
- =76Sunderland33
- =79Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole32
- =79West Northamptonshire32
- 81Solihull31
- =82Portsmouth30
- =82Walsall30
- =82Wirral30
- =85Hackney29
- =85Newcastle upon Tyne29
- =87Croydon27
- =87Dorset27
- =89Barnet26
- =89Cheshire East26
- =89Cheshire West and Chester26
- =89St. Helens26
- =89Warrington26
- =94County Durham25
- =94Gateshead25
- 96Northumberland24
- =97Thurrock23
- =97Tower Hamlets23
- =99Devon22
- =99Greenwich22
- =99Hounslow22
- =99Southend-on-Sea22
- 103Brent21
- =104Cornwall20
- =104Wiltshire20
- =106Brighton and Hove19
- =106Calderdale19
- =106Hillingdon19
- =106Swindon19
- =110Middlesbrough18
- =110Worcestershire18
- =112Blackpool16
- =112Bromley16
- =112Stockton-on-Tees16
- =115Enfield15
- =115Harrow15
- =115South Gloucestershire15
- =115Southampton15
- =119Bracknell Forest14
- =119Halton14
- =119North Somerset14
- =119Shropshire14
- 123North Lincolnshire13
- 124Isle of Wight12
- =125Camden11
- =125Lewisham11
- =127Hartlepool10
- =127Islington10
- =127Plymouth10
- =127Sutton10
- =127York10
- =132Herefordshire, County of9
- =132Kensington and Chelsea9
- =132West Berkshire9
- =135Bedford8
- =135Southwark8
- =137Cumberland7
- =137Darlington7
- 139Richmond upon Thames6
- =140Bexley5
- =140Bristol, City of5
- =140Hammersmith and Fulham5
- =140Redcar and Cleveland5
- =140Westmorland and Furness5
- =145Bath and North East Somerset4
- =145Merton4
- 147Westminster3
- 148Kingston upon Thames2
- =149City of London0
- =149Isles of Scilly0
- =149North East Lincolnshire0
- =149Rutland0
- =149Torbay0
No figure published for Barnsley (given under its old code, E08000016), Sheffield (given under its old code, E08000019).
Counts follow the size of the place, so the largest places tend to come first.
Data table
163 rows
| Area | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Lancashire E10000017 | 259 | 473 |
| Essex E10000012 | 241 | 225 |
| Derby E06000015 | 223 | 288 |
| Nottingham E06000018 | 197 | 319 |
| Birmingham E08000025 | 179 | 241 |
| Kent E10000016 | 166 | 223 |
| Hertfordshire E10000015 | 155 | 177 |
| Coventry E08000026 | 150 | 206 |
| Nottinghamshire E10000024 | 149 | 127 |
| Hampshire E10000014 | 146 | 117 |
| Warwickshire E10000031 | 146 | 184 |
| West Sussex E10000032 | 139 | 102 |
| Wigan E08000010 | 136 | 100 |
| Surrey E10000030 | 135 | 83 |
| Gloucestershire E10000013 | 131 | 154 |
| Sheffield E08000019 its area before 1 April 2025 | 127 | 86 |
| Kirklees E08000034 | 125 | 179 |
| Bolton E08000001 | 113 | 194 |
| Derbyshire E10000007 | 108 | 90 |
| Leeds E08000035 | 107 | 131 |
| Cambridgeshire E10000003 | 106 | 99 |
| Kingston upon Hull, City of E06000010 | 99 | 210 |
| Wolverhampton E08000031 | 99 | 137 |
| Oldham E08000004 | 93 | 96 |
| Rochdale E08000005 | 87 | 94 |
| Sefton E08000014 | 85 | 65 |
| Slough E06000039 | 83 | 58 |
| Liverpool E08000012 | 83 | 89 |
| Wakefield E08000036 | 82 | 79 |
| Bradford E08000032 | 81 | 166 |
| Milton Keynes E06000042 | 80 | 80 |
| Oxfordshire E10000025 | 79 | 59 |
| Rotherham E08000018 | 75 | 67 |
| Havering E09000016 | 75 | 68 |
| Newham E09000025 | 72 | 88 |
| Barking and Dagenham E09000002 | 71 | 99 |
| Lincolnshire E10000019 | 71 | 62 |
| Luton E06000032 | 67 | 24 |
| Leicestershire E10000018 | 66 | 126 |
| Blackburn with Darwen E06000008 | 63 | 96 |
| Buckinghamshire E06000060 | 61 | 75 |
| Central Bedfordshire E06000056 | 60 | 62 |
| Leicester E06000016 | 58 | 86 |
| Ealing E09000009 | 58 | 36 |
| Doncaster E08000017 | 56 | 55 |
| Sandwell E08000028 | 55 | 105 |
| Redbridge E09000026 | 55 | 48 |
| North Yorkshire E06000065 | 53 | 64 |
| Salford E08000006 | 53 | 130 |
| Staffordshire E10000028 | 53 | 97 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire E06000011 | 51 | 35 |
| Norfolk E10000020 | 51 | 60 |
| Somerset E06000066 | 49 | 137 |
| Tameside E08000008 | 47 | 66 |
| Peterborough E06000031 | 46 | 59 |
| North Northamptonshire E06000061 | 46 | 71 |
| Dudley E08000027 | 45 | 64 |
| Wandsworth E09000032 | 45 | 24 |
| Trafford E08000009 | 44 | 19 |
| Barnsley E08000016 its area before 1 April 2025 | 43 | 35 |
| Reading E06000038 | 42 | 35 |
| Lambeth E09000022 | 42 | 15 |
| East Sussex E10000011 | 42 | 37 |
| Bury E08000002 | 41 | 32 |
| Manchester E08000003 | 41 | 147 |
| South Tyneside E08000023 | 40 | 12 |
| Waltham Forest E09000031 | 40 | 17 |
| Stoke-on-Trent E06000021 | 38 | 47 |
| Wokingham E06000041 | 38 | 84 |
| Telford and Wrekin E06000020 | 37 | 73 |
| Medway E06000035 | 37 | 48 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead E06000040 | 37 | 36 |
| Knowsley E08000011 | 37 | 26 |
| North Tyneside E08000022 | 34 | 13 |
| Suffolk E10000029 | 34 | 60 |
| Stockport E08000007 | 33 | 44 |
| Sunderland E08000024 | 33 | 21 |
| Haringey E09000014 | 33 | 15 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole E06000058 | 32 | 29 |
| West Northamptonshire E06000062 | 32 | 24 |
| Solihull E08000029 | 31 | 46 |
| Portsmouth E06000044 | 30 | 17 |
| Wirral E08000015 | 30 | 45 |
| Walsall E08000030 | 30 | 56 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne E08000021 | 29 | 39 |
| Hackney E09000012 | 29 | 9 |
| Dorset E06000059 | 27 | 20 |
| Croydon E09000008 | 27 | 49 |
| Warrington E06000007 | 26 | 23 |
| Cheshire East E06000049 | 26 | 31 |
| Cheshire West and Chester E06000050 | 26 | 18 |
| St. Helens E08000013 | 26 | 20 |
| Barnet E09000003 | 26 | 18 |
| County Durham E06000047 | 25 | 28 |
| Gateshead E08000037 | 25 | 11 |
| Northumberland E06000057 | 24 | 20 |
| Thurrock E06000034 | 23 | 28 |
| Tower Hamlets E09000030 | 23 | 49 |
| Southend-on-Sea E06000033 | 22 | 25 |
| Greenwich E09000011 | 22 | 34 |
| Hounslow E09000018 | 22 | 29 |
| Devon E10000008 | 22 | 15 |
| Brent E09000005 | 21 | 37 |
| Cornwall E06000052 | 20 | 22 |
| Wiltshire E06000054 | 20 | 28 |
| Swindon E06000030 | 19 | 23 |
| Brighton and Hove E06000043 | 19 | 12 |
| Calderdale E08000033 | 19 | 16 |
| Hillingdon E09000017 | 19 | 5 |
| Middlesbrough E06000002 | 18 | 30 |
| Worcestershire E10000034 | 18 | 32 |
| Stockton-on-Tees E06000004 | 16 | 10 |
| Blackpool E06000009 | 16 | 10 |
| Bromley E09000006 | 16 | 15 |
| South Gloucestershire E06000025 | 15 | 17 |
| Southampton E06000045 | 15 | 35 |
| Enfield E09000010 | 15 | 22 |
| Harrow E09000015 | 15 | 19 |
| Halton E06000006 | 14 | 22 |
| North Somerset E06000024 | 14 | 18 |
| Bracknell Forest E06000036 | 14 | 22 |
| Shropshire E06000051 | 14 | 20 |
| North Lincolnshire E06000013 | 13 | 21 |
| Isle of Wight E06000046 | 12 | 15 |
| Camden E09000007 | 11 | 20 |
| Lewisham E09000023 | 11 | 19 |
| Hartlepool E06000001 | 10 | 12 |
| York E06000014 | 10 | 11 |
| Plymouth E06000026 | 10 | 15 |
| Islington E09000019 | 10 | 16 |
| Sutton E09000029 | 10 | 1 |
| Herefordshire, County of E06000019 | 9 | 13 |
| West Berkshire E06000037 | 9 | 9 |
| Kensington and Chelsea E09000020 | 9 | 5 |
| Bedford E06000055 | 8 | 14 |
| Southwark E09000028 | 8 | 10 |
| Darlington E06000005 | 7 | 5 |
| Cumberland E06000063 | 7 | 2 |
| Richmond upon Thames E09000027 | 6 | 5 |
| Redcar and Cleveland E06000003 | 5 | 0 |
| Bristol, City of E06000023 | 5 | 4 |
| Westmorland and Furness E06000064 | 5 | 8 |
| Bexley E09000004 | 5 | 8 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham E09000013 | 5 | 4 |
| Bath and North East Somerset E06000022 | 4 | 1 |
| Merton E09000024 | 4 | 6 |
| Westminster E09000033 | 3 | 12 |
| Kingston upon Thames E09000021 | 2 | 3 |
| North East Lincolnshire E06000012 | 0 | 6 |
| Rutland E06000017 | 0 | 3 |
| Torbay E06000027 | 0 | 2 |
| Isles of Scilly E06000053 | 0 | 0 |
| City of London E09000001 | 0 | 0 |
| Barnsley E08000038 | given for its area before 1 April 2025, under E08000016 | given for its area before 1 April 2025, under E08000016 |
| Sheffield E08000039 | given for its area before 1 April 2025, under E08000019 | given for its area before 1 April 2025, under E08000019 |
| North East | 266 | 201 |
| North West | 1,391 | 1,850 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 941 | 1,161 |
| East Midlands | 950 | 1,196 |
| West Midlands | 904 | 1,321 |
| East of England | 813 | 833 |
| London | 810 | 805 |
| South East | 1,184 | 1,147 |
| South West | 368 | 485 |
| England | 7,627 | 8,999 |
Map
2026 · 130 areas, each shaded by the fifth of the areas its figure falls in
- 0 to 10
- 10 to 22
- 22 to 37
- 37 to 60
- 60 to 223
Boundaries: Council boundaries, May 2026, from the geography spine. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
Source and licence
- Publisher
- Department for Education
- Check it yourself
- https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/admission-appeals-in-england
- Licence
- Open Government Licence – Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence.
- Retrieved
- 7 November 2026, 06:48 UTC
- Raw files fetched
- https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/admission-appeals-in-england/2026SHA-256 0e5a044d255ed11077bd1e2866c29efc02176edcb8a0e14a2745751ef172fb4c · 556 bytes
- https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/data-set-files?publicationId=123461ab-50be-45d9-8523-c5241a2c9c5b&latestOnly=true&pageSize=40SHA-256 c5d87982fde1a979a602efcf6108423de076654ca51168824c62bcf73de710f7 · 3,858 bytes
- https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/data-set-files/0ec5e766-b9e8-404a-b932-580409f550f2SHA-256 7d7c20c5f016659070b690183f9c47db6f7d24c9845455959d1e3ebd9cb9b1e7 · 3,176 bytes
- https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/releases/e4b1eee9-ea7a-49a8-4d8d-08dedb56fa9e/files?fileIds=4bdf360e-4dbf-499a-d24f-08dee2754f5eSHA-256 b2ab0292954b4faac3efa0ecdb423148c494a558953396bb00831c9df1728b31 · 142,707 bytes
- https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/releases/e4b1eee9-ea7a-49a8-4d8d-08dedb56fa9e/files?fileIds=b47fca01-6523-4ac8-d253-08dee2754f5eSHA-256 920b41ccc021b973cb0877e3f15597a260eff8fb1eb212e51a05db1550f49f9a · 9,857 bytes
- https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/admission-appeals-in-englandSHA-256 c81cc3224d4dbc1c49f8fdbfaaef7d2a64b5caa556b3a095052e43026b43db9e · 22,910 bytes
- https://www.gov.uk/api/search.json?filter_format=statistics_announcement&filter_organisations=department-for-education&count=1500&fields=title,release_timestamp,statistics_announcement_state,link,display_type,public_timestampSHA-256 234cc2570146f5481e17f33027a07a22e17285d4dc2d83aed3ebd3691dce90f7 · 110,765 bytes
- receipts.json, made by the hub and not fetched: its receipt for each file it fetchedSHA-256 8178e0478bb929045a60f2cc8de68efc15e296e6f7318a4f57b20163dd3f3c4f · 3,516 bytes
Verification
Latest check failed – showing figures verified against source 7 November 2026, 06:53 UTC Run at 10 November 2026, 11:32 UTC; the latest check failed, so these are the figures that matched the source in full at 7 November 2026, 06:53 UTC; they stand for up to 14 days while the failure is put right.
| Result | Check | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Pass | Provenance recorded | Department for Education; Open Government Licence; retrieved 2026-11-07T06:48:12Z; 8 raw file(s) |
| Pass | Raw files match recorded SHA-256 | 8 of 8 files intact |
| Pass | Re-parsing raw files reproduces figures | 326 of 326 figures and the headline reproduced; the meta's observations and release and accreditation and contract_sha256 and register_rows_sha256 and main match |
| Pass | Figures are finite numbers | 326 figures, 0 invalid |
| Fail | Live source matches every figure | re-read failed: Stop: held at freshness: the next release is now 'provisional' on '2027-08-31T23:59:59.000+01:00' |
| Not run | Second official route | No independent second route to these figures is published; the live re-fetch is the check. |
| Pass | Source page answers | https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/admission-appeals-in-england – HTTP 200 |
Notes
- All received appeals are described as being lodged. The appeals will be considered by a panel hearing unless they are withdrawn by the parent/carer – this is described as being heard. The heard appeals can be rejected or upheld (that is, successful).
- Reporting year 2026 counts appeals lodged by 1 September 2025 and reporting year 2025 those lodged by 1 September 2024: “In order to allow us to report on the current academic year, only appeals lodged by 1 September and relating to entry into the start of the academic year (for any year group) are collected. Appeals relating to applications for ‘in year’ entry, where a pupil moves during the course of the academic year, are not included.” (the DfE's methodology).
- How the appeals are collected: “Local authorities provide aggregate appeal data for all of their community and voluntary controlled schools via the school admission appeals data collection (APAD), returned to the department each January in relation to appeals submitted by the previous 1 September. Foundation, voluntary aided and academy schools submit their own appeal data via the spring school census (admissions appeals module), also held in January. All LAs are required in principle to provide a return for all of their mainstream community and voluntary controlled schools via the school admission appeals data collection (also known as APAD).” (the DfE's methodology). The figures are given by local authority as the Department for Education publishes them.
- Counts are of appeals heard by an appeals panel. In addition, parents can lodge appeals for more than one school but only require a single school place.
- For all all through schools, any appeals received relating to entry into years reception to 6 have been counted as primary appeals, and appeals relating to years 7 upwards as secondary appeals.
- “From 2026, the Isles of Scilly is included as a local authority with no appeals heard.” (the DfE's methodology). The 2026 release's file also gives it for 2025, with no appeals heard.
- Barnsley and Sheffield are given under their codes from before 1 April 2025, as the Department for Education gives them.
- The Department for Education publishes these as accredited official statistics. Its data is released under the Open Government Licence, as its data guidance says; it names no version.