National Offer Day: Compare Kent secondary schools performance as places announced

National Offer Day 2026 has arrived, meaning that today (Monday, March 2) parents across Kent and around the country will be finding out if their child has landed a place at their preferred secondary school. The majority of children will likely be offered to start at their first choice of school this September.

However, not everyone is so lucky. In 2025, 84 per cent of students got their first choice while 12 per cent were offered a place at one of their other preferred schools.

That left 4 per cent of pupils with a school they didn’t pick as one of their ranked preferences. With National Offer Day now in full swing, you can compare the performance statistics of any two schools in your local area with our new gadget.

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If you have been offered a school other than your preferred choices, you can check out to see how they compare. Simply sign-up or sign-in through the widget below to get comparing.

Compare secondary school performances in your area:

The gadget uses official government data on pupil performance, comparing schools’ Attainment 8 scores going back to 2015. Also compared are pupil’s success at getting A-C in English and Maths, English Baccalaureate performance, and historic Progress 8 scores. If you want to view a school’s performance in even more detail then you can select to read more about that school.

Grounds for a secondary school appeal

There are two grounds for appeal that you can put forward. First, if a school’s admissions policy contravenes the School Admissions Code or has been applied incorrectly, you can appeal their decision.

An example of this could be that the school’s admission policy gives priority to a specific faith as a religious school, and your child is of that faith but was still denied a place. This, however, is a rarity, as typically schools are good at abiding by their admission policies.

A second ground for appeal would be if the disadvantage to your child from not getting a place would be greater than the impact they will have by joining all the other children in that year group. For example, while your child’s acceptance might cause overcrowded classrooms, this negative is outweighed by the positive impact the school environment will have on your child.

Reasons you might be able to appeal on these grounds are as follows:

• The desired school caters to a specific health or learning need your child would benefit from.
• If the school is selective on academic ability and has high exam results, your child might have strong academic potential and therefore be limited in a less high-achieving school.
• The school might cater to a specific specialism or extra-curricular that your child has proven themselves in previously.
• The journey to their accepted school is long and complicated. If it involves multiple public transport changes and takes over an hour, you might have grounds for appeal.
• The school might offer a specific language that other schools do not. If your child has a genuine reason to learn this language e.g. family relatives they would like to communicate with, you could have a case for appeal.
• There might be emotional reasons your child is better suited to this school. For example, if your child has been bullied by children attending their accepted school, this facility could offer your child a fresh start.

What to prepare for an appeal

You typically have at least 20 school days to appeal from when the school sends the decision letter. The admission authority will set a deadline for submitting information and evidence to support your appeal. If you submit information after the deadline, it might not be considered or your hearing could be delayed.

You will be given at least 10 school days’ notice of the hearing. Appeals must be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for making an appeal.

What happens at an appeal hearing?

There’s a panel of three or more people at the appeal hearing. The panel is independent and must follow the school admission appeals code.

1. The admission authority will explain why they turned down your application.

2. You’ll be able to give your own reasons why your child should be admitted.

3. The appeals panel must decide if the school’s admission criteria was properly followed and that the criteria complies with the school admissions code.

4. If the criteria was not properly followed or does not comply with the school admissions code your appeal must be upheld.

5. If your reasons for your child to be admitted outweigh the school’s reasons for not admitting any more children at all, your appeal will be upheld.

6. You will usually be sent the decision within 5 school days.

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