The hardest secondary schools in Norfolk to get into have been revealed.

A new analysis compares the number of total applicants at each one and the number of places offered to show which were the most oversubscribed in 2023.

It identified Notre Dame High School in Norwich as the toughest to get into, with 30pc of applicants not getting a place.  It had 294 applicants but only 208 places were offered.

It was followed by Ormiston Venture Academy in Gorleston, where 27.5pc of applicants did not receive a place. 

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Wymondham College, Hethersett Academy and Downham Market Academy followed with 25pc, 23pc and 17pc, respectively.

Of the 58 Norfolk secondary schools, 18 of them were oversubscribed. 

See our table below for all of the schools in the county and how they compare to each other. 

Notre Dame is notoriously difficult for children to get into.

In 2022 the school said it was aware of the possibility some parents were getting their children baptised so they had an increased chance of gaining entry to the Catholic school.

Hethersett Academy has also been in the headlines over the difficulties many parents face in getting their children in.

Parents in nearby Mulbarton have voiced frustrations about their children missing out on places at the school and instead being sent to the Hewett in Norwich.

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Last year, around 40pc of Year 6 leavers from Mulbarton Primary School failed in their efforts to go to Hethersett.

Official Department for Education statistics show that students were offered their first-choice places 82.6pc of the time and their top three choices 94.1pc of the time. 

For Norfolk secondary schools in 2023, 96.5pc of applicants were given a place at a school of preference.

Simon Gilbert-Barnham, principal at Ormiston Venture Academy, said: "We see ourselves as a key member of our fantastic community and this is reflected in consistently being a school of choice amongst children and families in the area."

A Norfolk County Council spokeswoman said: "We have many good schools in our county, where dedicated staff go above and beyond to help children and young people reach their potential.

"For a variety of reasons, some of these schools are over-subscribed and some are particularly popular with parents and carers when they express their preferences.

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"We make every effort to ensure students are given one of their preferences and for 2025 we have increased the number of preferences people can make from three to four."

Alan Fletcher, the principal of King's Lynn Academy which was the sixth most oversubscribed secondary school in Norfolk said: "We have been heavily oversubscribed for a number of years now and this is a true reflection of the hard work and dedication of the team.

"As a result of this demand for places and the increased housing in the King's Lynn catchment area, we are working with the local authority to increase the capacity of the academy through a significant building project and we look forward to welcoming an additional 60 students in September 2025."