Families from across the borough have been receiving notification about which school their child has secured a place at for the new school year.
Monday 17th April 2023 is National Offer Day for children starting Primary School or moving up from Infants to Juniors in September 2023.
Despite the increasing demand for school places, 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 2,786 with 96% of children having been offered a place at their first preferred school (an increase from 95.3% in 2022). In total, 99% 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, 99.5% have been offered a place at their first preference Junior School.
Rotherham continues to perform very well against the national average. Nationally, in 2022/23, 92.2% of children were offered their first preference primary school place, with 98.4% offered one of their preferred schools (Department for Education stats)
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 parent whose child has not been offered a place at their preferred school do have the right of appeal, with all cases heard by independent appeals panels for a final legally binding decision.
The Council also maintains a waiting list until 31 December and will work closely with the families involved to ensure that they are supported through this process.
Councillor Victoria Cusworth, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People at Rotherham Council, said: “Starting a new school or school for the first time is both an exciting and emotional time for families, so I am pleased that we’ve been able to offer the overwhelming majority of children a place at their first choice or top three preference school.
“We work closely with schools, developers and health services to ensure places are keeping pace with demand in line with birth rates, residential developments and other factors. It’s really pleasing that Rotherham continues to perform ahead of the national average and that so many children start their journey in education at their chosen school.”
