With more than 500,000 children learning which secondary school they are going to in September, Channel 4 News asks: did you get a place at your first choice school?
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Children across England on Monday learnt whether they won a coveted place at their first choice of secondary school.
Initial figures suggest that in some areas of the country, almost one in four 11-year-olds missed out on a spot at their preferred secondary school, while in others, virtually all youngsters got a place at their top pick.
Last year, almost 66,500 youngsters (13.3 per cent) nationally were not offered a place at their first choice of secondary school, according to government statistics.
About 3.5 per cent did not get an offer from any of their top three choices.
Councils across the country sent out letters to about half a million families informing them of the school their child has been allocated this September, on what is known as National Offer Day.
While for many the news was the result they had been hoping for, others were let down as competition for the best schools is fierce, particularly in big cities.
“We selected school from the list offed for our catchment and have been given a place at a school that wasn’t even on our list of choices”
“Yes. I applied for a catholic secondary school as my son is already at a catholic primary and I wanted him to carry on with a faith school”
“No. I declined it as soon as possible. Current stats 2 per cent entered to gcse with 0 per cent pass rate”
“Yes, but only because my first choice was not my preferred school as such but the most realistic middle of the way option”
“Yes, the nearest one to home so I could have home cooked lunches. They should all be within walking distance too”
Ahead of National Offer Day in England, a study suggested that schools are using lotteries or “banding” pupils by ability when offering places in a bid to make their admissions fairer and gain a balanced intake of students.
The move is being fuelled by academies and free schools, which have the freedom to set their own admissions rules, it says.
Research conducted for the Sutton Trust by academics at the London School of Economics analysed the admissions policies of around 3,000 state secondary schools and academies in England for the 2012/13 school year.
It found that in total, 121 schools in England used a “banding” system as part of their admissions policy in 2012/13, compared to 95 which were using this method in 2008.
Banding is a system in which pupils are tested and put into different ” ability bands” based on their results. A school then draws pupils from each band to ensure a balanced intake.
A further 42 schools were using random allocations – often known as lottery or ballot-style systems – in 2012/13 to choose pupils, the study found.
It also reveals that more schools are allocating places to pupils based on their aptitudes and abilities in areas such as sport and music. Under the current admissions code, schools are allowed to allocate up to 10 per cent of their places in this way.
On National Offer Day it is estimated that around one in six applicants will not be offered their first choice. If this happens parents have several options
According to the www.schools-search.co.uk website parents can contact the local education authority or school governing body to talk informally about reversing the decision.
In rare cases where the admissions authority (the LEA or school) has refused a place in error, it may be able to reverse the decision without the need for the parents to go to formal appeal.
However, in the majority of cases, the appeals procedure will need to be followed through.
The initial letter you receive that told you that you had been unsuccessful will provide information on your right to appeal. It will explain what to do next. It will also provide a deadline for you to make the appeal within.
The appeals process should be detailed in the letter you received but can be summarised as: