What is national offer day?
On Tuesday 1 March more than half a million children who are in their final year of primary school will find out whether they got into their first choice of secondary school. After endless research, attending open days and filling in forms, parents in England will begin to receive email notifications on Tuesday afternoon, and letters later in the week, informing them which school their child will go to in September.
Will everyone be happy?
A lot of families will be happy. Parents can specify six choices of secondary schools in order of preference, and most will get their first choice. Last year 84.2% of applicants were offered a place at their favourite school, leaving 84,000 families who did not get their preferred choice – an increase of more than 7,000 on the previous year. But according to the government, 95% of parents received an offer from one of their top three preferred secondary schools.
What’s all the fuss this year?
Because of a surge in the population, there is growing demand for secondary school places. Councils, which no longer have the power to open new schools where required, say they will struggle to provide sufficient places as the population bulge that has been affecting primary schools in recent years begins to move up into secondary. Parents are therefore worried that because of increased demand they will not get into the school of their choice.
Can you appeal if you don’t get into your favourite school?
If you believe there are exceptional reasons why your child can only attend a particular school, you can appeal against the refusal of a place at that school, but local authorities warn that very few appeals are successful.
