87 per cent of children get first choice secondary school in Lincolnshire

Of the 8,559 children applying to Lincolnshire secondary schools this year, 87% (7,441) will receive a place at their first-choice school.

Due to movement on reserve lists and appeals, Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) says it is likely that further children will be offered a place at their first-choice school by the time they start in September.

Currently 8.3% have been offered a place at their second preference, with 1.3% receiving a place at their third choice. 96.5% of all applicants received a place at one of their preferred schools.

The 3.5% who were unable to be allocated one of their preferred schools will be offered a place at the closest school in Lincolnshire with a place available.

Coun Mrs Patricia Bradwell OBE, LCC Executive Councillor for Children’s Services, said: “It is good to see so many families receiving offers at one of their preferred schools again. This figure is likely to be even higher by September. It is always our intention to support parents to make the application process as easy as possible, and it is nice to see an increasing number of parents using the online parent portal to make their application and receive their offer on national offer day.”

Parents who applied using the online application system will have been emailed their offer letter on 3 March 2025 – if they are unable to access this email, they can visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/schooladmissions and log on to the parent portal. Parents who applied by phone or paper form will have been posted their letter today (3 March 2025), first-class.

Parents have until midnight on 28 March 2025 to lodge an appeal if they are unhappy with the offered school. Information on the appeals process can be found at https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/school-admissions/appeal-school-place.

If parents submit an appeal form by the deadline, it will be heard before the end of the summer term. Appeals submitted after the deadline will still be considered, but they may be in the last week of term or even into September.

Parents who wish to apply for school transport can find information relating to applications and eligibility in their offer letter or by visiting www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/school-college-transport. For travel arrangements to be in place by September, parents must apply by 31 May 2025.

For further details about school admissions, go to www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/schooladmissions.