Ten of 23 West Northants secondary schools turned applicants away in 2026, and Northampton School drew 4.8 applications a place. The 2027 deadline is 31 October.
Ten of the 23 secondary schools in West Northamptonshire had more applicants than places for this September, and had to refuse some children. The figures are in the council’s own guide for parents applying now. Applications for a Year 7 place in September 2027 close at midnight on Saturday 31 October.
The council’s 2027 prospectus lists every school’s Year 7 places, how many applications it received by last year’s deadline, and whether it was oversubscribed on National Offer Day, 2 March 2026. “Oversubscribed” there means the school filled its places and turned applicants away.
The schools in most demand
Counting applications against places, the busiest schools were:
- Wootton Park School: 1,020 applications for 60 places, 17 for every place. It is an all-through school, and its own Year 6 pupils move up without applying.
- Northampton School, Thorpeville: 1,054 applications for 220 places, 4.8 a place
- Northampton School for Boys: 1,011 for 215, 4.7 a place
- Northampton Academy: 1,097 for 270, 4.1 a place. That is the most applications of any school in the district.
- The Duston School: 584 for 180, 3.2 a place
All five were oversubscribed. So were Moulton School, Caroline Chisholm School at Wootton Fields, Chenderit School at Middleton Cheney, Northampton School for Girls and Sponne School in Towcester.
At the other end, Northampton International Academy on Barrack Road received 175 applications for 240 places. It was the only school with fewer applications than places.
Why lots of applications does not always mean a full school
The application counts include every preference, first to fourth. One child can be counted at four schools. So the figure measures interest, not first choices.
That is why three schools had twice as many applications as places and still took everyone who applied: Malcolm Arnold Academy, Campion School at Bugbrooke and St Thomas Becket Catholic School. Under the council’s definition, every child who applied to them was offered a place there, unless they were offered a school they had ranked higher.
It also works the other way. Sponne School received 356 applications for 232 places, only 1.5 a place, and was still oversubscribed.
The council uses a system called equal preferencing. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission rules without knowing where a family placed it. If a child qualifies for more than one school, they are offered the one ranked highest. The council’s advice is plain: “Putting a school first does not increase your chances of getting a place there.”
Every school, side by side
| School | Where | Places | Applications | Per place | Oversubscribed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wootton Park School | Wootton | 60 | 1,020 | 17.0 | Yes |
| Northampton School | Thorpeville, Northampton | 220 | 1,054 | 4.8 | Yes |
| Northampton School for Boys | Northampton | 215 | 1,011 | 4.7 | Yes |
| Northampton Academy | Northampton | 270 | 1,097 | 4.1 | Yes |
| The Duston School | Duston | 180 | 584 | 3.2 | Yes |
| Moulton School | Moulton | 240 | 642 | 2.7 | Yes |
| Caroline Chisholm School | Wootton Fields | 219 | 565 | 2.6 | Yes |
| Chenderit School | Middleton Cheney | 180 | 460 | 2.6 | Yes |
| Northampton School for Girls | Northampton | 270 | 659 | 2.4 | Yes |
| Malcolm Arnold Academy | Northampton | 240 | 483 | 2.0 | No |
| Campion School | Bugbrooke | 240 | 481 | 2.0 | No |
| St Thomas Becket Catholic School | Northampton | 180 | 360 | 2.0 | No |
| Weston Favell Academy | Northampton | 270 | 502 | 1.9 | No |
| Roade Village Academy | Roade | 120 | 208 | 1.7 | No |
| Kingsthorpe College | Kingsthorpe | 240 | 391 | 1.6 | No |
| Sponne School | Towcester | 232 | 356 | 1.5 | Yes |
| Guilsborough Academy | Guilsborough | 238 | 357 | 1.5 | No |
| DSLV E-ACT Academy | Daventry | 120 | 168 | 1.4 | No |
| Abbeyfield School | Northampton | 240 | 317 | 1.3 | No |
| Elizabeth Woodville School | Deanshanger | 120 | 158 | 1.3 | No |
| The Parker E-ACT Academy | Daventry | 210 | 248 | 1.2 | No |
| Magdalen College School | Brackley | 240 | 261 | 1.1 | No |
| Northampton International Academy | Northampton | 240 | 175 | 0.7 | No |
The 23 schools have 4,784 Year 7 places between them. Silverstone UTC, which takes pupils at 14 rather than 11, was also oversubscribed. It had 196 applications for 110 places on its engineering course and 54 for 28 places on business and events management. (West Northamptonshire Council, Applying for a Secondary school place for September 2027)
How many children got their first choice
On National Offer Day 2026, 76.9% of on-time applicants were offered their first preference. A further 19% got their second, third or fourth, so 95.9% were offered a school they had named.
That is a slightly lower first-choice rate than the year before. In March 2025 the council reported 77.8% getting their first choice and 95.5% one of their preferences.
The dates that matter this month
Several schools set their own tests and forms, and some deadlines fall before 31 October:
- Monday 5 October: last day to apply for Malcolm Arnold Academy’s music aptitude test. The test is on 7 October, with results by 19 October.
- Saturday 10 October: Northampton School for Boys’ technology aptitude test
- Week of 12 October: Northampton School’s dance, drama and sport aptitude tests
- Friday 16 October, 3pm: Chenderit School’s arts aptitude portfolio deadline
- Monday 19 October: music aptitude tests at Northampton School and Northampton School for Boys
- Saturday 31 October, midnight: the application deadline. Northampton School and Northampton School for Boys also need their own supplementary forms by then, from every applicant.
- Monday 2 November, midnight: register for Northampton School for Girls’ banding test
- Saturday 7 November: Northampton School for Girls’ banding test
- Saturday 14 November: the Common Ability Test for Northampton School and Northampton School for Boys, which every applicant must sit
- Monday 1 March 2027: offers sent
Book aptitude tests through each school’s own website. For Kingsthorpe College’s performing arts aptitude places, the prospectus lists the form deadline and test dates as “to be confirmed”, so check the college’s website.
What it means for you
- Use all four preferences. Ranking a school second does not hurt your chances there, and leaving boxes empty does not help. If you name only one school and it is full, the council says your child is placed only after every other applicant’s preferences, and “the result might be that your child is allocated a place at a school which is a long way from your home”.
- Name your local or linked-area school if you want it considered. If none of your choices can take your child, the council offers the nearest school that still has places.
- Read each school’s admission rules. Siblings, catchment areas, faith and aptitude places are handled differently from school to school, and the prospectus sets them all out.
- Do not miss 31 October. Late applications are not looked at until reallocation rounds starting in April 2027.
Term dates for every Northampton school are in our school term dates page.
Sources
- Applying for a Secondary school place in West Northamptonshire for September 2027, West Northamptonshire Council, read 3 October 2026, section 3 for school-by-school places, applications and oversubscription; section 1 for the 2026 offer figures and test dates.
- Deciding which secondary schools to apply for, West Northamptonshire Council, for equal preferencing.
- Key dates and deadlines for secondary school admissions, West Northamptonshire Council.
- National offer day for year 7 students, West Northamptonshire Council, 3 March 2025.
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