Of those who applied for a Year 7 place (for September 2025) by the application deadline, 90.8 per cent have been offered a place at their first preference school. The County Council received 14,230 on-time applications this year – a decrease of 357 applications compared to the number received for places in September 2024 (14,587).
Councillor Steve Forster, Executive Member for Education, said: “I’m grateful to our School Admissions Team for continuing to do a great job in finding places at parents' preferred schools. Even in areas where more houses are being built, we are handling the demand well.
“For those parents who didn't get a place at their preferred school, we know that you may be feeling some disappointment; there is support available for anyone in this situation so please check our website for help and advice."
Pupils who did not secure a place at one of their three preferences have been allocated a place at their catchment school or the next nearest available school. Parents have the right to appeal in these situations and their child’s name will be added to the waiting list for any schools for which they receive a refusal. Places can become available via the waiting list for various reasons including parents changing their mind, or families moving home.
Parents who applied online have been notified of their offers by email. They can also view their offer by logging into the secure, online portal using the same log-in details provided when making their online application. Those parents who applied on paper, and did not provide an email address, have been notified by post and should receive their letters in two to three days.
A video and a set of Frequently Asked Questions to help with parents’ queries has been published on the Admissions webpages. This includes information on school transport assistance which may be available in certain circumstances, where the national eligibility criteria are met (application deadline 31 May).
The Admissions Team is now busy processing primary school applications with school place offers due to go out to parents on 16 April 2025.