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The summer holidays are quickly fading to memory, with Sheffield pupils having ready been back in school for over two weeks now.
Every parent wants their little one to go to the best school they can - but some schools are just that much harder to get into.
The very best schools can turn away nearly as many students as they have places to offer - while the most in demand school, Mercia, saw a staggering oversubscription rate of 121 per cent, meaning it had two Y7 children vying for every seat in class.
Meanwhile, one in 10 children in Sheffield were not offered their first choice of secondary school.
Figures show 89.02 per cent, or 5,978 pupils, were offered their first preference, and a total of 96.9 per cent of pupils got one of their ‘top three.’
Below, we've listed which Sheffield secondary schools were the most 'oversubscribed' for the 2025/26 academic year, meaning they were the hardest to get into for a place in Y7 for September.
5. High Storrs School - 27 per cent
High Storrs is consistently rated as on the best performing schools in Sheffield, and is he fourth most oversubscribed for September 2025. It turned down 67 pupils to fill its 244 places, an oversubscription rate of 27 per cent. | Google
6. Tapton School - 27 per cent
Another of Sheffield's best performing schools, Tapton is the fifth most oversubscribed for September 2025. It turned down 73 pupils to fill its 268 places, an oversubscription rate of 27 per cent, equal to High Storrs. | NW Photo: NW
7. King Ecgbert School - 26 per cent
King Ecgbert School turned down 64 pupils to fill its 250 places in September 2025, an oversubscription rate of 26 per cent. | Google
8. Oasis Academy Don Valley - 21 per cent
Oasis Academy Don Valley was the second most in-demand school in 2024, but ranked in seventh for September 2025, when it turned down 32 pupils to fill its 150 places, an oversubscription rate of 21 per cent. Photo: JPI