Over 90 per cent of secondary school applicants in Leicestershire secured a place at one of their preferred schools

Over 90 per cent of secondary school applicants in Leicestershire have secured a place at one of their preferred schools.

New figures released by the county council show a total of 7,918 applications were received – up by over 400 students on 2021 - and some 92.8 per cent now have a place at one of their top-three choices.

Almost 7,000 students have been offered their first-choice option - a record number.

This is equal to 84.7 per cent of all applicants.

Some 6.5 per cent secured their second choice and 1.6 per cent their third choice.

Children and parents are being notified of their school place from today (Tuesday).

Cllr Deborah Taylor, the county council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for children and families, said: “We’re extremely pleased that a record number of our children have secured their first choice of secondary school, bringing our figures broadly in line with last year.

“These are encouraging numbers, particularly as we have several hundred more children in the system this year and bearing in mind the popularity and continued high performance of Leicestershire's secondary schools,” she said.

"The number of secondary places available in the county has been increased to over 8,300 in response to our highest-ever number of secondary transfer requests for entry in September."

Cllr Taylor said people who need advice should contact the School Admissions Service urgently to discuss options available to them, including the appeal process.

To find out more, or to contact the service, visit www.leicestershire.gov.uk/admissions