The most oversubscribed primary and secondary schools in Merseyside for 2020 have been revealed.
Figures have shown some schools are among the hardest to get into in the country.
The toughest primary school for parents to get children into was Liverpool College, with just 30% of those who put the school as their first choice secured a place for this September.
The Mossley Hill school had 3.2 first preference applications for each of the 84 places offered – 272 in total. Of those who put the school as their first pick, only 82 were successful.
Valewood Primary School, in Crosby, was the next hardest primary to get into locally, with just 44% of those who put it as a first preference getting a place.
There were 2.3 first preferences for the school for each of its 30 places offered, a total of 68 applications.
Liverpool College was also the hardest secondary school to secure a place at locally.
The school had 2.6 first preferences for each of the 145 places offered, with just 31% of those who put the school as their first choice getting a place.
Overall, the secondary school was put down as a preference 1,398 times, with 2 no second and four third preferences being successful.
The Belvedere Academy, in Aigburth, saw 341 first preferences for 153 places offered – 2.2 per place – with just 33% of parents who put it as a first choice being offered a place.
Here are the ten schools in Merseyside it's most difficult to get a place at:
1. Liverpool College, Primary, Liverpool
2. Liverpool College, Secondary, Liverpool
3. The Belvedere Academy, Secondary, Liverpool
4. St Edward's College, Secondary, Liverpool
5. St Hilda's Church of England High School, Secondary, Liverpool
6. Valewood Primary School, Primary, Sefton
7. Holy Family Catholic High School, Secondary, Sefton
8. St Peter's CofE, Primary St. Helens
9. Eccleston Lane Ends, Primary, St. Helens
10. King David High School, Secondary, Liverpool
How hard is it to get into schools in your area?
Oversubscribed schools prioritise pupils who live closest.
House prices rise close to good schools, and this excludes children whose parents can’t afford to make the cut, The Conversation reports.
Beaumont Primary School in Croydon is the toughest primary school in England to get a place at.
Just 26% of those who put it as a first preference secured a place in 2020. It had 110 first preferences – 3.9 for each of the 28 places offered – and 13 preferences per place in total.
The data from the Department for Education is based on figures from National Offers Day, so data held directly by individual schools may differ, for example, because late applications were included.
The application deadline for applying for a Reception place is January 15, 2021, while it is October 31, for secondary applications.
