Key Points
- New Department for Education data shows which Havering secondary schools were most in demand for the 2026/27 school year.
- Several schools received more applications than places available, meaning not every child could be offered a first-choice place.
- Havering Council publishes coordinated admissions information for secondary school entry in Year 7 each year.
- The available data shows that some schools were filled to capacity or beyond capacity at the initial allocation stage.
- The figures reflect application pressure across the borough, particularly at larger and higher-performing schools.
Havering (East London Times) June 29, 2026 – New data for the 2026/27 school year shows that several Havering secondary schools attracted more applicants than places, with some schools receiving far more first preferences than they could accommodate.
Which schools had the highest application pressure?
According to Havering Council’s secondary school statistics for initial allocations as of 2 March 2026, The Coopers’ Company and Coborn School had 1,211 applications for 210 places, making it one of the most heavily oversubscribed schools in the borough.
The same council data also shows Redden Court, with 1,180 applications for 210 places, and Hall Mead, with 1,079 applications for 210 places.
Other schools that drew strong demand included The Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls with 664 applications for 246 places, Marshalls Park Academy with 641 applications for 245 places, and Abbs Cross Academy with 553 applications for 179 places.
The figures indicate that several Havering secondary schools were significantly oversubscribed, even before final allocation stages were completed.
What do the admissions figures show?
Havering Council states that all secondary schools in the borough operate within a co-ordinated admissions scheme, which ensures families receive one single offer on the same day.
The council also notes that secondary schools in Havering are their own admissions authorities, meaning each governing body or academy trust sets its own admissions arrangements.
The 2026/27 admissions scheme confirms that the borough uses a coordinated process for Year 7 entry and that schools must publish their determined admissions arrangements.
In practical terms, the published statistics show the gap between parental demand and available places, which is why oversubscription is a recurring issue in some parts of Havering.
Why do some schools become oversubscribed?
Oversubscription usually happens when more families list a school as a first preference than there are available places.
In Havering, the council’s data shows that a number of schools continue to attract very high demand, especially where schools are well regarded or have a strong local reputation.
The council’s admissions framework is designed to manage that pressure through published criteria and a coordinated offer process.
However, the data also shows that demand remains uneven across the borough, with some schools far more sought after than others.
Why does this matter for parents?
For parents and carers, the admissions data is a useful indicator of where competition is likely to be strongest in future application rounds.
Families whose preferred schools are regularly oversubscribed may need to consider catchment rules, admissions criteria and realistic alternatives before submitting preferences.
The figures also show that getting a first-choice school is not guaranteed, even for popular local schools with larger intakes.
That makes planning ahead especially important for families applying for secondary places in Havering.
What happened in the wider borough?
The council’s published statistics cover initial allocations across several secondary schools, not just the most oversubscribed ones.
They show that schools such as Harris Academy Rainham, Hornchurch High School, Gaynes, St Edward’s Church of England Academy, and others also had application numbers that reflected strong local interest.
Havering’s admissions page says the borough manages reception, junior and secondary applications through a coordinated system, with one offer issued on the same day.
That system is meant to make applications clearer for families, but it does not remove the reality that some schools remain much harder to secure than others.
Background of the development
The latest figures sit within Havering’s annual secondary admissions process for the 2026/27 academic year. Havering Council publishes its coordinated scheme and secondary statistics so families can understand how many applications each school receives and how those compare with available places.
These figures also help show long-term demand trends across the borough. Schools with a history of strong academic outcomes or strong local reputations often attract more applications than they can satisfy, which is why oversubscription remains a key issue in admissions planning.
Prediction: How could this affect parents and pupils?
For parents applying for the next intake, the data suggests competition is likely to remain intense at the borough’s most popular secondary schools.
That could mean more families receiving offers from schools lower on their preference list, particularly where the first-choice schools are consistently oversubscribed.
For pupils, the main effect is that school placement may depend more heavily on admissions criteria than on preference alone. In practice, this means families in Havering may increasingly need to treat their school list as a strategy exercise rather than a simple ranking of favourites.
