Somerset children starting secondary school in September will today (1 March) find out which school they will be attending.

Parents who have applied for places online will be emailed with their offer of a school place, whilst those who applied via a paper form will receive their offer by post in the coming days.

Figures show that 4,785 secondary school applications were received this year compared to 4,866 in 2022. In total, 92.8% of children received a place at their first preference school, with 98.12% offered one of their top three choices.

From the applications received this year, figures show:

• 1st preference met – 4,439 (92.8%)
• 2nd preference met – 232 (4.85%)
• 3rd preference met – 24 (0.5%)

Councillor Tessa Munt, Executive Lead for Children and Families at Somerset County Council said "We want to provide Somerset children with the best possible education and are pleased to be able to offer a high percentage of pupils one of their preferred schools, despite pressure on school places in larger towns. I wish them all the best in this new chapter."

Parents and carers of children not offered one of their three secondary school preferences have various options available to them. To find out more visit Refused a place at your preferred school (somerset.gov.uk)

Parents who applied by the deadline for places for children starting Primary School in September 2023 or moving from infant to junior or first to middle school, will find out which school place they have been offered in April.