The vast majority will go the the secondary school of their choice

Secondary school admissions reason to celebrate

Parents across Staffordshire will have a good reason to celebrate today, when they find out that 95 per cent of pupils have been allocated their first choice of secondary school.

Staffordshire County Council has today sent out letters informing parents which school their child will attend this September.  The majority of parents will find that they have been allocated their first choice, once again exceeding the national average of 85 per cent.

Although the numbers are slightly down on last year, which saw 97 per cent of pupils allocated their first choice school, this is due to a better admissions process.  More parents applied for their first preference this time around, with nearly 11,000 stating a preference.  This is compared to just under 10,500 who applied for first preferences last year.  In total, 10952 pupils have been allocated a place at a Staffordshire school.

Parents were given until early November 2007 to apply to Staffordshire County Council for secondary school places. Since the deadline, the council's School Admissions Team has been working with neighbouring local authorities and schools to ensure that as many parents as possible receive a place at a preferred school, and their dedication is reflected in the impressive figures.

Councillor Tony Wilkins, Cabinet Support Member for Schools, said: "A huge percentage of parents in Staffordshire have got their first preference for their child's school, and this would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our School Admissions Team. 95 per cent is a really high figure and a large number of parents now have very good reason to be pleased."

"In addition to a large number of parents getting their first choice, the council has also been successful in improving its rate of online applications.  This year, 32 per cent of admissions applications were made online, compared to 26 per cent last year.  This is a fantastic increase."

Parents will be receiving letters about the results from today onwards.  Those who applied on the internet will be able to access the decision online from today. 

Letters to parents regarding applications for primary school places will be sent out during the week beginning Monday 31 March.

Page Last Modified: 12/03/2008 11:45:56

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