Majority of Lincolnshire children get preferred primary school places
Thousands of Lincolnshire families are celebrating after the vast majority of children due to start school this September were offered one of their preferred primary school places.
New figures show 99 per cent of applicants have secured a place at one of their chosen schools for September.
There are 6,479 children due to start primary and infant schools across Lincolnshire this year. Of those, 6,243 children – 96.36 per cent – were offered their first preference school.
A further 195 children, or 3.01 per cent, received their second preference, while 22 children (0.34 per cent) were offered their third preference choice.
Just 19 children – 0.29 per cent of applicants – were not offered one of their preferred schools and have instead been allocated the nearest school with a place available.
Lincolnshire County Council says all offers made were within a reasonable distance of the child’s home, with more first-choice places expected to be confirmed following appeals and movement on reserve lists over the coming months.
Coun Natalie Oliver, executive member for children’s services, said: “I’m pleased that so many children have been offered a place at their first preference school, and we anticipate this number will increase as we move towards September.
“Supporting parents to secure places at their preferred schools remains a key priority, and encouraging the full use of available preferences plays an important role in this.
“For another year, this has resulted in the overwhelming majority of parents receiving an offer at one of their chosen schools.”
Parents who applied online will receive an email containing a secure link to their offer letter today (April 16). Those who applied by telephone or paper form have been sent their offers by post.
Families wishing to challenge a decision have until midnight on May 20 to lodge an appeal. Appeals submitted by the deadline will be heard before the start of the new school year.