Fewer children offered first choice of secondary school

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-33135164

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Fewer 11-year-olds have been offered their first choice of secondary school in England compared with last year.

This year, 84.2% of applicants were offered a first-choice place, down from 85.2% in 2014.

Applications to secondary school increased by 2.3%, from 521,274 in 2014 to 533,314 this year.

Across primary and secondary schools, 95% of applicants, who list up to five or six preferences, were offered their first, second or third choice.

At primary level, applications rose by 2% to 636,279, but virtually the same proportion as last year, 87.8%, were offered their first choice.

In London, 82.1% of families were offered their first choice, compared with 91.9% in north-east England and 86.2% in the South East as a whole.

At secondary level, London families fared worst, with 68.9% offered their first choice, down 1.3 percentage points on last year.

The highest rate, 92.6%, was in the North East.

In the West Midlands, it was 81.5%.

A Department for Education official said: "We are determined to give every family the choice of a good local school for their child.

"That is why we are pleased that despite rising pupil numbers, the proportion of parents being allocated one of their top choices remains stable, with more than 95% of parents receiving an offer at one of their three preferred schools."

"This reflects the £5bn investment this government has made in the system since 2010 to create almost half a million new school places."