More children offered one of their preferred secondary schools this year

Today, thousands of parents and carers across the county will discover the outcome of their child’s secondary school applications for places starting this autumn.

The vast majority, more than 98%, of the 9,446 on-time applications for September 2024 admissions in Nottinghamshire will be receiving a place at one of their preferred schools — an increase from last year.

Despite the large volume of applications, more than 91% of children are being offered their parents’ first preference, with just under 6% offered their second preference, meaning nearly 97% have been offered either their first or second preference, also increasing from last year.

This year, 92% of families applied online and will receive their offer by email or by logging into their school admissions account on offer day to get details of their school offer and instructions on what to do next.

Other applicants that provided an email address will also be sent an email and letters will be posted to the remaining applicants which are expected to arrive in the coming days.

Sam Smith, cabinet member for education and special educational needs and disabilities, at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “It is fantastic that that the vast majority of children are getting a place at one of their preferred schools and that this continues to increase despite the challenges.

“A lot of work goes into the admissions process and the aim is to offer a preferred school wherever possible.

“To meet local need, many schools across the county have offered additional places, over their published admission numbers and I’d like to thank everyone who has been involved.

“The council’s admissions team has continued to work incredibly hard to deliver even better results this year.

“We are committed to providing sufficient high quality school places to meet the increasing demand for places as more families choose to live and work here in Nottinghamshire.

“I hope those about to move up to secondary school can now enjoy their last few months at primary and junior school before they begin the next phase of their education journey.”

When parents and carers receive their offer, they have a number of options:

1.Accept the school place — by March 15.

2.If their child has been refused a place at a preferred school, they will already be on the school’s waiting list.

3.If they are not satisfied with the offer they have received, they are advised to contact the school for which they have a preference for information about how to lodge an appeal.

Parents are advised to accept their child’s offer, even if they would prefer a different school and plan to appeal, until they have confirmed alternative plans for their child’s education.

The council follows the government’s school admissions code, which ensures that all school places for maintained schools and academies are allocated and offered in an open and fair way.

For anyone who submitted a late application or made changes to their application after the October deadline, those applications will start to be processed from March 18 and parents will be informed after March 27.