The schools that are the most difficult to get your children into

AS parents think about applying for primary and secondary school places for their children for September 2022, it is worth bearing in mind which are the toughest to get into because they are so over-subscribed.

For example, two-thirds of parents did not get their first choice of a place at one Derbyshire school this year. Our exclusive figures show that just 36% of those who put Landau Forte College, in Derby, as their first choice secondary secured a place for this September out of 1,068 applications.

The school had 2.6 first preference applications for each of the 192 places offered – 496 in total. Of those who put the school as their first pick, only 178 were successful.

Including second and third preferences, there were 5.6 applications for each offered place, with 12 second preferences and two third preferences getting a place.

The Pingle Academy, in Swadlincote, was the next hardest secondary to get into locally, with just 66% of those who put it as a first preference getting a place. There were 1.5 first

preferences for the school, a total of 319, for each of its 217 places offered.

Among the primary schools, Morley Primary School was the hardest primary school to secure a place at locally with 1.8 first preferences for each of the 10 places offered, with just 50% of those who put the school as their first choice getting a place.

Overall, the primary school was put down as a preference 45 times, with one second and no third preferences being successful.

St Luke’s C of E Primary School, in Glossop, saw 54 first preferences for

30 places offered – 1.8 per place – with just 52% of parents who put it as a first choice being offered a place.

Alison Brannick, principal at Landau Forte College, said: “We are delighted that Landau Forte College is so popular with Derby city and Derbyshire parents, and it is great to see so many families want their children to come here. We only wish we could offer a place to everyone who applied.

“The team here works so hard to provide a great quality of education for our students, despite the challenges

we have faced over the last couple of years, and so to see our hard work recognised by local parents is fantastic.

“As we start the new academic year we are looking forward to welcoming our new year students into the classroom and working with them to reach new heights.”

The application deadline for applying for secondary places is October 31, while it is January 15, 2022, for primary applications. Nationally, Beaumont Primary School in Croydon is the toughest primary school in England to get a place at. Just 23% of those who put it as a first preference secured a place in 2021.

And The Royal School in Wolverhampton was the hardest secondary school to get into, with just 10% of those who put it as a first preference getting a place. The data from the Department for Education is based on figures from National Offers Day, so data held directly by individual schools may differ, for example, because late applications were included.

If you want to know how many applications there were for a place at a school in your area, visit our website to use the interactive tool.

It is great to see so many families want their children to come here. Alison Brannick, Landau Forte College