Families from across the borough have been notified about which school their child has secured a place at for the new school year.
Tuesday 16th April 2024 was National Offer Day for children starting Primary School or moving up from Infants to Juniors in September 2024.
The vast majority of Rotherham children will be starting their new school year in September at the school of their parents choosing.
The total number of Primary School (Reception/Foundation Stage 2) places offered this year in Rotherham is 2,561 with 95.7% of children having been offered a place at their first preferred school. In total, 99.2% have been offered one of their three preferred schools.
For applications received for children to attend Year 3 in a Junior School in September 2023, 100% have been offered a place at their first preference Junior School.
Rotherham continues to perform very well against the national average. Nationally, in 2023/24, 92.5% of children were offered their first preference primary school place, with 98.6% offered one of their preferred schools (Department for Education statistics).
For the small number of Rotherham children, who could not be accommodated at one of their preferred schools, all have been made an offer of a place at either their catchment area school, if a place was available, or the next nearest school with a place available.
Any parents whose child has not been offered a place at their preferred school do have the right of appeal against the refusal of a place, with all cases heard by independent appeals panels for a final legally binding decision.
The Council also maintains a waiting list until 31 December 2024 and will work closely with the families involved to ensure that they are supported through this process.
Further information can be found on the Rotherham Council website.
Nicola Curley Strategic Director for Children’s Services at Rotherham Council said: “Starting school or moving to a different school can be both exciting and daunting for parents. There are excellent schools in Rotherham that are committed to giving children the best possible start in their education. Rotherham continues to perform very well against the national average, and we are pleased to be able to offer the overwhelming majority of parents a place at one of their preferred schools.”