Secondary National Offer Day 2026

[LancreWowhawk]

Is anyone else anxiously awaiting news of secondary school allocations for September 2026? If so, come and bite your nails with me!

We've applied for 4 schools in our London borough, 3 girls schools and then our 4th choice is co-ed. Last year, we'd have got whichever one we put first, which will be down to changing demographics in London, so I'm hoping the same is true this year. As recently as 3 years ago, we wouldn't have got either of our first 2 choices on either faith or distance grounds, so I'm not counting my chickens!

We should be safe with either of our 3rd or 4th choices, as there's no year we wouldn't have got either of them, but still - I just want to know now!

Yes, I came here to start this very thread! I'm really trying not to stew but it's difficult.

Same as you - London, 3 girls schools and 1 co-ed (with the co-ed being the banker 4th choice). I cannot tell you how many times I've double checked that I actually sent the SIFs, submitted the application etc. Also can't believe we need to wait till after 5pm!

Our banker ought to be our 3rd choice girls school, it's been undersubscribed for as long as anyone can remember - though it's still a well regarded school. Something very weird will have happened if we end up with the co-ed!

DH is working away in Asia next week, and typically he did the application, so I made him give me his account details so I can log in and check, as he'll probably be asleep when the emails land. 5pm seems really cruel! I don't remember primary being that late.

Hello - thank you for starting this thread as I was about to start it myself! We are also in London and our top two choices are both oversubscribed girls’ schools. We have a decent chance of getting a church place at either, but very much depends on how many others have had the same idea. DD has her heart set on our first choice so really hoping it works out. Best of luck to everyone in the same boat!

Il wondering if we all live in the same borough!

😀 I'm Lambeth but applying in Westminster and Southwark.

We are in Westminster.

GCH and Marylebone by any chance?!

Haha - got it in one 😂

Best of luck! Applied for both too but no real chance at Marylebone (Catholic).

There is one school in my town and it's all going to pot there, 50 teachers currently on strike for to poor pupil behaviour. We put a really small school in a neighboring village down as our first choice but it's really borderline whether DD will get in, wouldn't have last year.

Thanks - and to you! St M is our first choice as DD preferred it and it’s a much shorter commute.

That sounds really stressful - fingers crossed for you.

Your competition is on this thread lol!

Good luck @Curlewwoohoo!

Oh can I join? I'm not in London though.
We have only 3 choices here. We are technically out of catchment for the 3 I put down. 3rd is my safe option as linked primary and historically always picks up the villages our way. 1st and 2nd Slightly more ambitious as more over subscribed. All are very good schools in the same city. if something go's very wrong we will get our catchment school which is best in our borough but just not quite as pushy as the local city schools.
I have still managed to get very stressed though!

Good luck @changename87!

Another Lambeth resident. 👋
Our application has schools across 4 boroughs. So many SIFs and entry/banding tests. The application process was super stressful so now I feel very relaxed.

Number 2 is our safe one - but also our emotional favourite. I wanted to put it lower but my son was not overly enthusiastic about some of the others.

anxiously waiting here too - we are in Croydon but my son has passed his 11+ highly for the Sutton grammars. We have also applied in Southwark and Bromley. 2 single sex 2 co-ed. Will we really have to wait til 5pm?! some areas [outside London] have their results at midnight!

Yes it’s 5pm in London. It’s a real pain.

Thanks for starting the thread
We should be fine for our 1st choice for DC2, however, I have a nagging feeling that my council could have buggered up.

In November I got an email from the council asking me to provide sibling evidence as they couldn't find it on my application.

I KNOW I filled in the form correctly and well before the deadline. I stated sibling criteria in 3 separate parts of the form. I also got my DH to check the CAF before I submitted it. They say they didn't receive any information about DC1.

I asked them to reply to my email, confirming that the sibling criteria will be applied. I got a reply but from a generic email account. Fingers crossed 🤞🏼 we'll be ok

Out of interest, for those who mentioned Southwark - which schools?

kingsdale (like everyone and their uncle I’m sure)

but I think it’s 4th on our list because the tour and open day was the worst we went to.

DD passed the 11+ for both the schools she went for. Our local system tells you if you have passed well enough to be offered a place and confirms you will get a place if you put the school as first choice.

Put her top choice down, but with local government, we still want believe it until we see it confirmed.

Wishing everyone the best of luck with their choices and I hope as many as possible get what they hope for.

We should be ok based on sibling criteria, but that hasn't stopped me having my first anxiety dream about it!

Good luck to everyone