Camden secondary schools 2027 choices are now in focus as families across the borough weigh up one of the biggest decisions of primary school life, with open days under way in recent weeks and the deadline for September 2027 places fast approaching.
The figures for last year’s applications show just how uneven demand can be across the borough. One Camden Town school drew more than five applications for every place on offer, while others also saw several hundred families competing for a much smaller number of Year 7 seats.
Key facts at a glance
- Most oversubscribed: Camden School for Girls in Sandall Road, Camden Town, with 597 applications for 116 places, including 254 first-choice applications.
- Second most popular: Acland Burghley School in Burghley Road, Tufnell Park, with 647 pupils vying for 171 places, including 213 first-choice applications.
- Parliament Hill School in Highgate Road recorded 642 applications for 179 places, with 183 first-choice applications.
- Deadline: The Pan-London application for the September 2027 intake must be completed and submitted by 31 October.
- Offer day: Places will be revealed on National Offer Day on 1 March 2027.
The numbers are based on last year’s figures and give parents a useful snapshot of where competition was fiercest, although they do not guarantee how this year’s round will play out as preferences and cohorts change.
The schools facing the strongest demand
Camden School for Girls in Sandall Road, Camden Town, is the borough’s most oversubscribed state secondary, with 597 applications for 116 places, including 254 first-choice applications. Families applying there also need to register directly with the school and sit a banding assessment test, which places pupils into one of four ability bands to ensure a balanced intake.
Acland Burghley School in Burghley Road, Tufnell Park, is the second most popular choice, with 647 pupils vying for 171 places, including 213 first-choice applications. The co-educational, non-selective community secondary prioritises looked-after children, siblings, children with exceptional social or medical needs, the children of staff and those living nearest the school.
Parliament Hill School in Highgate Road, described as an outstanding girls’ secondary, clocked up 642 applications for 179 places, with 183 assigning it as their first choice. The non-selective state girls’ comprehensive also prioritises looked-after children, siblings, children with exceptional social or medical needs, the children of staff and those living nearest the school.
Haverstock School in Haverstock Hill was the next most popular choice, with 329 applications for 121 places. Past pupils have included Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and footballers John Barnes and Joe Cole. Only 99 pupils put the non-selective community school as their first choice, which means they were guaranteed to get in if they ranked it as their top preference.
Hampstead School in Westbere Road, on the border of West Hampstead and Cricklewood, is another non-selective community secondary. It received 350 applications for 142 places, with 106 placing it as their first choice. Families in the wider Hampstead area may also want to read about South Hampstead High School turning 150 for a sense of the area’s long schools history.
Regent High School in Chalton Street, Somers Town, hands out 172 places annually and last year had 346 applications, with 125 putting it as their first choice.
William Ellis School, a non-selective boys’ comprehensive next door to Parliament Hill School on Highgate Road, takes in 90 pupils every year. It had 284 applications, including 54 who put it as their first choice. Maria Fidelis Catholic School in Euston, a co-educational faith school, had 280 applications for 135 places last year, with 82 putting it first choice, and priority is always given to Catholic applicants.
The UCL Academy in Swiss Cottage had 399 applications for 136 places, with 63 pupils making it their first choice. The school awards 18 places every year to students who qualify for its visual arts aptitude programme. La Sainte Union Catholic Girls’ School in Croftdown Road, Dartmouth Park, is also a girls’ faith school, with 151 applicants for 62 places and 28 making it their first choice. As with Maria Fidelis, priority is always given to Catholic applicants.
How to apply and the key dates
Parents can list up to six secondary schools both within and outside their home borough on the coordinated admissions application, ranking them in order of preference. All applications will be considered equally, with schools unaware of what order they are ranked, so families are encouraged to use all six preferences and put schools in their genuine order.
The Pan-London application for the September 2027 intake must be completed and submitted by 31 October, with places revealed on National Offer Day on 1 March 2027. Missing the deadline can reduce the chance of securing a preferred school, so it is worth checking each school’s admissions criteria carefully, particularly where extra steps apply, as at Camden School for Girls with its registration and banding test, or where faith or aptitude places form part of the intake.
Beyond oversubscription figures, parents often look at inspection reports, journey times and pastoral support. Our recent report on West Hampstead Primary earning strong Ofsted praise for early years and inclusion shows how Camden families use those judgements when weighing choices, while the Mayor’s Inclusion Charter and school exclusions in London gives wider context on inclusion across the capital.
For families now visiting schools, the practical advice is to check distance criteria, sibling and medical priority rules, and any supplementary forms well before 31 October, keep a note of open day impressions, and list preferences honestly. With demand so concentrated at the most popular Camden schools, using all six choices wisely can make National Offer Day on 1 March 2027 far less uncertain.
