Every parent wants their little one to go to the best school they can. So when they pick their top three preferences for the new academic year, it can make finding out a momentous day.
However, not everyone gets into their first choice - the very best schools can turn away nearly as many students as they have places to offer, they are that in demand.
Below, we've listed which Sheffield secondary schools were the most 'oversubscribed' for September 2024, meaning they were the hardest to get into for a place in Y7.
It shows how the number one school had two children vying for every seat in class and had an oversubscription rate of over 90 per cent.
1. In first place, Mercia School - 93 per cent
Mercia School was - once again - the most oversubscribed school in Sheffield for the upcoming 2024 academic year. It turned away 177 students to fill its 190 places - even more than the 137 it turned away last year to fill 180 slots. It also means it is more oversubscribed than ever by a staggering 93 per cent - three times more than second place on this list. That also means there were roughly two children vying for every seat in class for Y7. The parents that did get in will be pleased though - the school was last year ranked in the top three in the country for its Progress 8 scores. It comes in the same year Mercia School was awarded an Outstanding Ofsted report.
2. Oasis Academy Don Valley - 37 per cent
Oasis Academy Don Valley was only the seventh most oversubscribed secondary school in Sheffield last year, but for 2024 it has jumped to second place. It turned away 55 children to fill 150 spaces. That's an oversubscription rate of 37 per cent - but, again, it's worth remembering how this is one third of the demand seen at Mercia School. Photo: JPI
3. Handsworth Grange Community Sports College - 37 per cent
The third most exclusive secondary school in Sheffield for 2024/25 is Handsworth Grange Community Sports College, which turned down 75 children to fill its 205 spaces, an oversubscription rate of 37 per cent. Photo: Google
4. Tapton School - 34 per cent
Tapton School may have now been waiting over a decade for a fresh Ofsted report, but it is in high demand as one of the top three performing schools in the city. It turned down 92 children to fill 268 places for the 2024/25 academic year, an oversubscription rate of 34 per cent.