Nine in ten children get first choice secondary school offer

Council News
Council News

Nine in ten children will start at their first choice Secondary School in September 2024, as Rotherham Council improves on last year’s good performance in providing pupils with their preferred place.

Today (Friday 1 March 2024) is National Offer Day, when families with year six children discover which secondary school their child has been offered a place at from September 2024.
 
In total, over 3,400 school place offers have been made to pupils in Rotherham – 3,161 (92%) of which were for their first preference school (90% in 2023). In all, 97.4% of pupils in Rotherham have been offered a place at one of their three preferred schools this year (96% in 2023).

Councillor Victoria Cusworth, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services at Rotherham Council said: "Rotherham Council has invested money to create more pupil places in recent years and it’s no coincidence that we’ve further improved our already good performance last year for children getting places at their chosen secondary school.

“Our school place planners work hard to predict demand for individual schools and our excellent working relationship with school and academy leaders across the borough have helped to ensure we have the right school places available to children where they need them."

Nationally, just 82.6% of pupils were offered their first-choice secondary school place last year and the proportion of pupils offered one of their preferences was 95.6% (source: Department for Education).

 The 90 pupils (2.6%) in Rotherham who were not offered one of their three preferences have been allocated either their catchment area school or the nearest school to their home, where a place is available. No schools in Rotherham refused applications for children living in the catchment area.
 The Council works hard, with the support of local schools to ensure places are keeping pace with demand in line with birth rates, new housing and other factors that might increase demand.
 

In the past 10 years additional secondary school places have been created at Wickersley (200 through school places), St Bernard’s (75), Wales (150), Wath (150) and Rawmarsh (150). From 2023 onwards, additional places have also been created at Aston Academy (150 places) and Brinsworth Academy (150), aligned to future catchment area demand
 
Any parents or carers who were not successful in gaining a place in a preferred school have a right of appeal, via an independent appeal panel.

Published: 1st March 2024