Shropshire children receive secondary school place offers

Children across the country are today finding out which secondary school they have been offered a place at for the academic year that starts in September.

In Shropshire Council’s area, 3,026 children applied on time for places at secondary schools, with 89.7% – 2,713 children – offered their first preference school.

All who applied on time have been offered a place, with 96.5% allocated one of their preferences, and 3.5% allocated an alternative preference.

This year’s figures for the Shropshire Council area are:

• Number of on-time applications  – 3,026
• Number allocated their 1st preference – 2,713 (89.7%)
• Number allocated their 2nd preference – 167 (5.5%)
• Number allocated their 3rd preference – 44 (1.5%)
• Number allocated one of their preferences  – 2,924 (96.5%)
• Number allocated an alternative preference – 106 (3.5%)

Due to a high birth rate for this year’s intake, there is exceptional increased demand for secondary school places this year in Shropshire and across the country.

Whilst there are sufficient places in Shropshire schools overall for the 2023/24 academic year, in some areas of the county pressure on available school places may result in some children not being offered a place at one of their preferred schools.

Shropshire Council’s pupil forecast data shows this particular cohort is unique in size and numbers should revert to previous levels in future years.