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| Number of pupils failing to get first-choice secondary school place rises | Number of pupils failing to get first-choice secondary school place rises |
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| The number of children failing to get their first choice of secondary school in England has risen with tens of thousands affected, official figures show. | The number of children failing to get their first choice of secondary school in England has risen with tens of thousands affected, official figures show. |
| About one in seven 11-year-olds (14.8%) did not get an offer from their first choice school, down 1.5% on last year, with around 77,100 missing out, according to the Department for Education. | |
| London and the West Midlands were the two areas where children were less likely to get their first secondary school preference, with 29.8% in London and 18.1% in the West Midlands not receiving a first choice offer. In central London, Westminster was the lowest, with just 58.4% getting into their top school, while in Birmingham just 68.7% achieved it. | London and the West Midlands were the two areas where children were less likely to get their first secondary school preference, with 29.8% in London and 18.1% in the West Midlands not receiving a first choice offer. In central London, Westminster was the lowest, with just 58.4% getting into their top school, while in Birmingham just 68.7% achieved it. |
| Across England 95.5% got one of their top three secondary preferences, down from 96.5% last year, and 96.8% were given an offer from one on their preference list, down from 97.8%. | Across England 95.5% got one of their top three secondary preferences, down from 96.5% last year, and 96.8% were given an offer from one on their preference list, down from 97.8%. |
| Overall, the number of applications for a place in secondary schools increased by 4.3% to 521,274 on last year, the first increase since the DfE started collecting data in 2008. | Overall, the number of applications for a place in secondary schools increased by 4.3% to 521,274 on last year, the first increase since the DfE started collecting data in 2008. |
| London also fared worst when it came to primary school preferences, with almost one in five (19.9%) missing out on first choices – well below the rest of the country. | London also fared worst when it came to primary school preferences, with almost one in five (19.9%) missing out on first choices – well below the rest of the country. |
| Across England one in eight pupils – about 76,600 – lost out on their top primary preference. Out of 623,000 applications to primary schools, 87.7% were made a first preference offer, 95.7% were made a top three offer, and 96.4% an offer from any preferred school. | |
| This is the first time primary school data has been collated. The DfE said the increase in birth rates and pressure on primary school places had been well-documented over the past few years. | |
| "Despite this, the overall proportion of applicants receiving their first preference offer was higher than at secondary level at 87.7%," a spokesperson said, with 0.6% not receiving an offer from any of their preferred primary schools. The DfE said this could be explained by some local authorities waiting for confirmation of a new school opening in September, or because they are in the process of organising bulge classes. | |
| Some local authorities, mostly in London, did not ask for an alternative, instead sending parents details of schools with places available from which to make a second choice. | |