Chances of securing preferred primary school place depends on region

There are signs that in some areas of England fewer children are gaining places at their first choice of primary school, a survey suggests.

Hundreds of thousands of families across England are finding out which primary school their child will be joining this September, on what is commonly known as national offer day.

Early indications from a PA news agency survey of local authorities in England, which excludes London, suggest that a youngster’s chances of winning a place at their preferred school varies significantly depending on where they live.

As of midday on Wednesday, 18 out of 39 councils in England, which provided comparable data to PA, reported a fall in the proportion of children securing their preferred school compared with 2024.

Meanwhile, 18 councils have seen a rise in the proportion of families securing their top choice and three councils reported no change.

Of 29 councils that provided information, 15 had seen a fall in applications this year, while 14 had seen a rise.

Early figures indicate more than one in 10 families missed out on their first choice in some parts of the country.

In Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, 82.2% of children got their first preference, a fall from last year, while in Wokingham 90% got their top choice.

Among the areas where high proportions obtained their first preference were Westmoreland and Furness at 97.9%, and Hartlepool with 97.7%.

Official data shows that last year 93.2% of pupils across England were offered their first choice of primary school – up from 92.5% in 2023.

A population bulge in England has been moving from primary schools into secondary schools.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT said: “While most parents will be happy to have found out that they have got their first choice, that doesn’t take away from the difficulty and disappointment experienced by those families who have missed out.

“And there is a concern this year that overall offer figures may mask quite big regional variations.

“Many primary schools are seeing falling pupil numbers, for example in cities like London, where primary age families are moving away.

“But in some schools competition for places will still be very high, for example in areas with large amounts of new house-building.

“This regional volatility in populations means that unfortunately many families are still at the mercy of a postcode lottery when it comes to getting their first choice of school place.

“The current government has taken some steps to address this, for example restoring local authorities with the power to open new schools where they are most needed.

“However more could be done to shield primary schools from demographic fluctuations and protect their funding, to ensure all families have a suitable local school place available for their child.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Today is a big day for families across the country as they receive their primary school offers.

“Parents should be reassured that last year almost 99% of children were accepted to one of their top three choices, but through our plan for change this government is determined to make sure every family, wherever they live, has access to a good local school.

“That’s why we are deploying expert school improvement teams to raise standards where they have been persistently low, alongside making sure there’s a brilliant teacher at the front of every classroom, teaching a national curriculum that sets young people up for success.”