School places: 90% of Shropshire pupils get their first choice

In schools covered by Shropshire Council, 2,658 pupils – or 95.5 per cent – have been granted a place at their chosen school for September.

The figure within Telford & Wrekin was slightly lower at 90 per cent.

In total, Shropshire Council dealt with 2,784 applications for reception places, with Telford & Wrekin Council dealing with 2,183.

In the Shropshire Council area, 3.1 per cent of youngsters have been offered their second preference and 0.4 per cent their third preference.

In Telford & Wrekin, five per cent of youngsters have been offered their second preference and one per cent their third preference.

The figures for those getting their first choice schools increased slightly this year in Shropshire, up from 93.8 per cent in 2016, but in Telford & Wrekin it remained the same.

Karen Bradshaw, Shropshire Council’s director of children’s services, said: “We are really pleased that such a high percentage of pupils will be going to their first preference of primary school in 2017.

"Although there is pressure for primary school places across the country, this has not been experienced to the same degree in Shropshire, where there are only a few pressure points.

“We work hard to ensure that as many children as possible are able to attend their preferred school. Although it is not possible in every case, almost 99 per cent of applicants will attend one of their top three preferred schools and all applicants have been offered a place.”

For those families in the Shropshire Council area who are not happy with the allocation that they’ve received, they are entitled to appeal to an independent appeals panel.

For more information about appealing visit the council website.

In the Telford & Wrekin Council area, people can ask for their school allocation to be reviewed.

Russell Griffin, spokesman for Telford & Wrekin Council, said: "By May 5 unsuccessful applicants can ask the local authority to reconsider the school they have been offered at the review stage.

"Late applications will also be considered at the review stage."

Nationally, thousands of children are expected to miss out on their first choice of place at primary school this year, as the school-age population continues to grow at a rapid pace.

Last year about 12 per cent of families were rejected for their first choice of school.