Parents and children find out on secondary school places
More than 5,000 children have been discovering if they secured their choice of secondary school, with councils hailing the number successful in getting a preferred option.
Shropshire Council said that out of 2,856 children, 93.7 per cent – 2,677 – were offered their first-choice school.
For Telford & Wrekin 2,036 out of 2,420 had been awarded their first choice – 84.1 per cent.
Kirstie Hurst-Knight, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for children and education, said that the number of pupils being able to go to the school they want had increased compared to last year.
She said: “At this stage in the admissions process Shropshire Council is delighted that a high percentage of pupils, even more than last year, have been offered their first preference school.
“We have always met a high percentage of first preference requests and been ranked amongst the top three West Midlands councils.
“Parents are invited to submit three preferences, and 99 per cent of Shropshire parents have been offered a place at one of their preferred schools.”
Councillor Shirley Reynolds, Telford & Wrekin Council's cabinet member for children, young people and families, said that the authority had looked to increase the number of places available to cut down on disappointment for families.
She said: "I would like to say a big thank you to all those parents and carers who completed their applications on time – I am pleased to say that once again, each young person has received a school place offer.
"This year, 2,260 young people – 93.3 per cent – have been offered their first or second choice of schools.
"More than 200 extra spaces have been created this year to ensure more children are offered first and second preferences, and we will continue to invest and expand for the future.
"Over the past 10 years, we have rebuilt or refurbished every secondary school here in our borough, and now every one of our secondary schools and academies is a first-class place to learn.
"We will go further with £31 million investment into borough schools over the next two years, to ensure each Telford and Wrekin young person can attend a secondary setting fit for the 21st century, schools that young people can be proud to receive an education in."
