National Offer Day sees children allocated their Reception school place

Telford and Wrekin

In Telford & Wrekin this year 98.7 per cent of children have gained a place at one of their top three preference schools which is up from 97.5 per cent in 2023.

Telford and Wrekin Council says it received 2,030 on time applications and every applicant who applied on time was offered a school place.

94 per cent of these children gained a place at their first preference school. A further 4 per cent gained a place at their second preference school, with another 1 per cent gaining a place at their third preference school. 

Councillor Eileen Callear (Lab) Cabinet Member for Education, Employment and Visitor Economy said:

“We are delighted that over 98% of children have secured a place at one of their preferred primary schools. This means that for the third year running more children in our borough have been offered a place at one of their preferred schools.

“We want every child in Telford and Wrekin to have the best start in life; giving access to high-quality education right on their doorstep is essential for this.

“This is testament to the council’s significant investment which has been made in recent years to improve facilities within our schools and increase the number of places available. This year will be the first year when children will benefit from the additional 30 reception places at Lawley Village Academy, following the expansion works which will be completed by September.”

Shropshire Council Area

In the Shropshire Council area there were 2,572 applications.

Those being allocated their first preference were 2,526 (98.2%) the 2nd preference 37 (1.4%)
and 3rd preference 4 (0.2%). 2,567 (99.8%) were allocated a place at a preffered school.

Kirstie Hurst-Knight, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for children and education, said:

“We are really pleased that more than 98% of pupils will be going to their first preference primary school in 2024.

“Shropshire Council works hard to ensure that as many children as possible are able to attend their preferred school. Although it isn’t possible in every case, 99.8% of applicants will attend one of their top three preferred schools, and all applicants have been offered a place.

“Notably the percentage of on-time applicants who received their first preference is higher than it has been in any of the last ten years. Likewise, the percentage of pupils who received an offer of one of their preferred schools is higher than it has been over the last ten years, which is fantastic news.”