More pupils awarded first-choice school place

THERE ARE signs that higher proportions of children are gaining places at their first choice of primary school in a number of areas of England, research indicates.

Hundreds of thousands of families across England found out which primary school their child will be joining this autumn, on what is commonly known as National Offer Day.

Early indications from a survey of local authorities suggest that a youngster’s chances of winning a place at their first preference school varies significantly depending on where they live.

The poll, sent to councils across England, excluding London, suggests that a number of local authorities have seen a rise in the proportion of children getting their first preference.

Early figures, from 51 councils which provided comparable data by midday, show that 41 have seen a rise in the proportion of pupils getting their first preference compared with last year, while 10 have seen a fall.

Among the areas where very high proportions of pupils have achieved their first preference are Northumberland, where 98.4 per cent got their first pick, and the East Riding of Yorkshire, with 97.5 per cent. Rotherham’s rate was 98.5.

In comparison, in Southend in Essex, only 85.4 per cent of children got their first preference, a fall on last year.

England’s school system has been under pressure in recent years due to a rise in the schoolage population.

This has been fuelled by a spike in the birth rate in the early 2000s which has made its way through primary schools and is moving into secondary schools.

Official data shows that, last year, 90.2 per cent of pupils were offered their first choice of primary school – which was down slightly on 90.6 per cent in 2019.