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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.
9. Forge Valley School - 20 per cent
The eighth most exclusive Sheffield school for September 2025 is Forge Valley School, which turned down 49 children to fill its 240 places, an oversubscription rate of 20 per cent. | Google Photo: Google Maps
10. Astrea Academy - 15 per cent
Astrea Academy did not have to turn away any pupils to fill its places in 2024, but did so this year, turning down 27 to fill 170 places for September 2025, an oversubscription rate of 15 per cent. | National World
11. Ecclesfield School - 13 per cent
It has the largest intake in Sheffield, but Ecclesfield School still had to turn down 48 pupils to fill its 350 places for September 2025, an oversubscription rate of 13 per cent. | Google Maps Photo: Chris Etchells