A new school year has officially begun and whilst National Offer Day may feel like a lifetime away, it was a tense time for many families and unfortunately not all children received the secondary school allocation they had wished for.
According to Lancashire County Council, 86.9 per cent of children were awarded their first-choice secondary school for the 2026/2027 academic year but that meant 13.1 per cent were left disappointed.
The latest available DfE figures show which Lancashire secondary schools were the hardest to get into in September 2026 so take a look at the 21 toughest schools below...
We have ordered these schools in ascending order so that the hardest secondary schools feature last.
5. Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School (15)
219 pupils put this school as their first choice but only 172 first choice offers were handed out which is a success rate of 78.54% | Google Maps
6. Alder Grange School (14)
177 pupils put this school as their first choice but only 139 first choice offers were handed out which is a success rate of 78.53% | Google Maps
7. Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy (13)
353 pupils put this school as their first choice but only 276 first choice offers were handed out which is a success rate of 78.19% | Google
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8. St Mary's Catholic High School (12)
199 pupils put this school as their first choice but only 153 first choice offers were handed out which is a success rate of 76.88% | Google Maps