Luton Year 7 Places: 1,041 Preferences for 224 at Denbigh

Denbigh High School received 1,041 preferences for 224 Year 7 places this September. That is 4.6 for every place, the most of any high school in Luton. Living in its catchment area was not enough to get in.

The figures are in Luton Council’s guide for families applying for September 2027, which sets out how every high school allocated its places for the year group that started in September 2026. The council says the information is correct at 27 July 2026.

The deadline to apply for a Year 7 place for September 2027 is Saturday 31 October 2026.

What the figures show

Across Luton’s 13 high schools there were 3,303 Year 7 places and 6,938 first, second and third preferences. In the initial allocation on 2 March 2026:

• nine schools filled every place
• four had places left: Lea Manor High School (80), Stopsley High School (68), Queen Elizabeth School (43) and The Stockwood Park Academy (15), a total of 206
• 693 children were on waiting lists at nine schools on 27 July, 238 of them for Denbigh

At Denbigh, the council’s summary says the school “was unable to offer a place to all pupils who met the Children living in the catchment area of the school criterion”. Within that group, places went to the children living closest. The last child offered a place lived 0.490 miles from the school, measured in a straight line.

Denbigh is on Alexandra Avenue, LU3. The next most sought-after schools were Chiltern Academy on Gipsy Lane, with 2.8 preferences per place, and Icknield High School on Riddy Lane, with 2.5.

Share this chartFacebookWhatsAppXCopy linkEmbed

School by school

“Per place” is our calculation: preferences divided by places, to one decimal place. The other figures are the council’s.

A preference is not an applicant. Each family names up to three schools, so one child can count three times. That is why Queen Elizabeth School can show 512 preferences and still have 43 empty places: many of the families who named it were offered a school they ranked higher.

Cardinal Newman Catholic School admits by faith criteria first, so it publishes no distance.

Appeals

For September 2026, 191 appeals were lodged at nine schools by 27 July. Of the 159 heard, 10 succeeded.

• Denbigh: 76 lodged, 69 heard, 4 agreed
• Challney High School for Girls: 26 lodged, 23 heard, 2 agreed
• Putteridge: 22 lodged, 15 heard, 1 agreed
• Icknield: 18 lodged, 13 heard, 2 agreed
• Chiltern Academy: 16 lodged, 12 heard, none agreed
• The Chalk Hills Academy: 16 lodged, 13 heard, 1 agreed

Challney Boys, Cardinal Newman and Lealands each had five or six appeals, none of them successful. Lea Manor, Queen Elizabeth, Stopsley and Stockwood Park had none.

What it means for you

If your child is in Year 6 now, you apply for their high school place this autumn.

• Apply by Saturday 31 October 2026, online at luton.gov.uk/school-admissions. You can change your preferences up to the closing date.
• Use all three preferences. The council considers first, second and third preferences equally against each school’s criteria, then offers the highest one your child qualifies for.
• Your address on 31 October counts. Where a school is oversubscribed, the council uses your address at the closing date.
• Applying to Cardinal Newman? You must also give the school its supplementary form and your child’s baptismal certificate, Certificate of Catholic Practice or First Holy Communion certificate by 31 October.
• Late applications are not considered in the first round, except in very exceptional circumstances.
• Offers go out on Monday 1 March 2027, by email for online applicants.

The council’s admissions helpline is 01582 54 80 16. Term dates for the rest of this year are in Luton school term dates.

Open evenings still to come

The guide lists these dates. Lea Manor’s (24 September) and Queen Elizabeth’s (29 September) have passed. Check the school’s own website before you go, as times can change.