Parents and carers of children starting primary school in September have been told which school their child will be attending.
This year 94.6 per cent of applicants to East Riding of Yorkshire Council for places at infant, junior and primary schools got their first choice of school. A total of 41 of the 123 primary, infant and junior schools are oversubscribed, but all 482 East Riding resident applicants for junior school places got their first preference.
The majority (82.5 per cent) of the applications were made online, and the applicants were receiving letters and e-mails today (Wednesday 16 April) about the outcome.
This year, East Riding of Yorkshire Council received 3,270 applications for places at infant and primary schools.
Of those, 3,196 (97.4 per cent)) got a place at a school which parents had named as one of their top three preferred schools on their application forms. These included 3,066 (93.9 per cent) who got their first choice; 120 (3.7 per cent), who got their second choice; and 10 (0.3 per cent), who got their third preference..
Sixty four (two per cent) could not be given places at any of their three chosen schools and have been given places at alternative schools. Of the 64 who did not get any of their preferences, 43 have been placed at their catchment area school and 21 have been given places at another school.
In Goole, Kingsway Primary School, Marshlands Primary School and Parkside Primary School have agreed to help meet an increased demand by making more places available. Kingsway and Parkside Primary will now take in 90 children each instead of 60, and Marshlands will take 40 instead of 30. Additional accommodation will be added at each school to make sure the extra numbers can be catered for properly.
The schools admissions team has also processed 482 applications from parents applying for their children to transfer from infant to junior schools, and all the applicants for junior school places got their first preference.
Of the six junior schools, only Mount Pleasant CE Junior School in Market Weighton is oversubscribed – 88 first preferences for 75 places. The school’s admission number will be exceeded and all 88 children will be offered places.
Councillor Julie Abraham, portfolio holder for children, young people and education, said: “At a time when many areas in the country are facing real difficulties in finding enough primary school places, it is good to see that we are still able to give most parents places for their children at the schools they want.
“Getting the balance right between the number of school places and the expected demand for these places is always difficult, even more so at times when the resources available for schools and school buildings are very limited.
“We have acted quickly to make more places available in Goole, where the numbers needing primary school places this year has been greater than expected. I am very grateful to the schools in the area which have responded so positively.”