70 per cent of Birmingham pupils get first preference school

Almost 70 per cent of Birmingham pupils have been offered their first preference for the secondary school intake in September this year.

The figure has increased by 2.7 per cent on last year. Just over 95 per cent were offered one of their preferred schools, with 11 per cent offered their second preference and just two per cent offered their sixth preference.

This year 13,540 Birmingham pupils applied to transfer to secondary school – 446 fewer than last year. There were 52,460 preferences expressed, with a third of applications made online.

Councillor Les Lawrence, cabinet member for children, young people and families, said: “The admissions team has worked extremely hard to give advice and guidance to parents and carers as well as pupils, processing thousands of applications.

“It is good news that almost 70 per cent have been offered their first choice. While there will inevitably be some parents who are unhappy with their offer, the team is very professional and sympathetic when advising these parents of their options, and explaining their right to appeal.”

There are a number of factors taken into account when applications are made, including whether a pupil has a statement of special educational need, whether they are looked-after, whether they have a sibling at the school, and distance from the school.

See fact sheet for further details.

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