Over 93 per cent of Shropshire parents get first choice primary school places

In the Shropshire Council area, 94.6 per cent of youngsters were successful in their first choice application, with 93.2 per cent in Telford & Wrekin.

It means that 2,559 pupils in Shropshire will attend their first choice primary, with 1,863 in Telford.

According to the figures 72 children were not allocated any of their preferred school choices.

In total, 89 in Shropshire were awarded a second choice and 21, a third choice.

For Telford & Wrekin, 70 were awarded their second preference and 27 their third.

For Shropshire, the number securing a first place choice was up from 93.4 per cent in 2021, while in Telford & Wrekin it fell from 94.8 per cent.

Councillor Shirley Reynolds, Telford & Wrekin Council's cabinet member for children, young people and families, said: "We are very pleased to offer, once again this year, places at preferred primary schools to the vast majority of families in our borough who applied for them.

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

“Significant investment has been made to improve facilities within our schools as well as increasing the number of places available and we will continue to do so in the areas where it is needed.”

In a statement Shropshire Council said: "We are really pleased that such a high percentage of pupils will be going to their first preference of primary school in 2022.

"Shropshire Council works hard to ensure that as many children as possible are able to attend their preferred school and this was true for more than 94 per cent of applicants this year.

"Although it is not possible in every case, more than 98 per cent of applicants will attend one of their top three preferred schools, and all applicants are offered a place."