1 in 7 parents failed to get children into first-choice secondary school

One in seven parents has failed to get their children into their first choice of secondary school, according to official figures released today.

The figures show 13.3 per cent – around 70,000 parents failed to obtain a place at their preferred school.

They are, though, an improvement on 2012 when 14.7 per cent did not get their first choice.

London parents fared worst with nearly 30 per cent (28.9 per cent) not getting their first choice school – although this, too, was an improvement on last year when the figure was 32.5 per cent.

“We want every parent to have a choice of a great local school and we’re determined to make more progress,” said Schools Minister David Laws. “That’s why we have made it easier for popular schools and take on more pupils.”

The area of the country with the best record of getting pupils into their parents’ first choice of school was the north-east with 94.6 per cent.

In all, 97.8 per cent of the 499,968 parents applying for places were granted admission to one of their preferences – up 0.2 per cent on 2012.