87% of Surrey pupils offered their first choice primary school

Eighty-seven per cent of Surrey children have been offered places at their first-choice primary school – up from 86 per cent last year.

And almost all who applied – 97 per cent of pupils – were given one of their top three preferred schools.

Julie Iles, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member All-Age Learning, said: “We know that choosing a primary school is a big decision for parents and carers and I’m delighted we’ve been able to offer so many families the one they wanted.

“We’ve made a big investment in extra school places over the last 10 years because there have been lots more families needing them – we’ve created about 19,000 new places across our primaries and secondaries – and we’ll continue to work with schools and other partners to make sure every Surrey child who needs a place gets one.”

Figures for applications to reception in September 2019 show:

*87.1% of Surrey applicants were offered their first preference school – up from 85.6% last year
*96.6% of Surrey applicants were offered one of their top three preferences – up from 96.4% last year
*All Surrey pupils who needed a place got one

Figures for junior applications for September 2019 show:

*93.4% of Surrey applicants were offered their first preference school – up from 92.6% last year
*96.4% of Surrey applicants were offered one of their top three preferences – up from 96.1% last year
*All Surrey pupils who needed a place got one