Where is a first-choice secondary place hardest to get?
DfE ยท Sept 2026 entry- Slough 69%
- Reading 73%
- Windsor and Maidenhead 76%
- Buckinghamshire 77%
- Kent 79%
- Medway 80%
- Surrey 81%
- Milton Keynes 82%
- Wokingham 82%
- Bracknell Forest 83%
- Brighton and Hove 83%
- Isle of Wight 83%
- Portsmouth 83%
- Southampton 83%
- Oxfordshire 85%
- East Sussex 86%
- West Sussex 88%
- Hampshire 90%
- West Berkshire 95%
Local authorities compared
Medians are of schools, not pupils
Sorted by the median secondary school's applications per place for September 2026, highest first.
| Local authority | Secondary per place | First choice | Attainment 8 | KS2 expected | Report cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 4.1 | 76% | 47.6 | 67% | 10 |
| Medway | 3.4 | 80% | 43.7 | 65% | 9 |
| Buckinghamshire | 3.1 | 77% | 48.7 | 68% | 29 |
| Kent | 3.1 | 79% | 42.1 | 65% | 83 |
| Brighton and Hove | 3.1 | 83% | 46.7 | 59% | 14 |
| Slough | 2.7 | 69% | 52.2 | 73% | 11 |
| Surrey | 2.7 | 81% | 51.3 | 67% | 60 |
| Wokingham | 2.6 | 82% | 53.3 | 70% | 13 |
| West Sussex | 2.3 | 88% | 46.0 | 61% | 34 |
| Oxfordshire | 2.3 | 85% | 46.2 | 64% | 33 |
| Milton Keynes | 2.2 | 82% | 44.0 | 65% | 7 |
| Reading | 2.1 | 73% | 46.3 | 66% | 9 |
| Portsmouth | 2.1 | 83% | 40.1 | 55% | 15 |
| Southampton | 2.0 | 83% | 40.6 | 57% | 11 |
| Bracknell Forest | 2.0 | 83% | 47.9 | 63% | 9 |
| East Sussex | 1.9 | 86% | 45.6 | 64% | 27 |
| Hampshire | 1.9 | 90% | 45.5 | 65% | 84 |
| West Berkshire | 1.9 | 95% | 48.8 | 57% | 21 |
| Isle of Wight | 1.4 | 83% | 42.3 | 51% | 5 |