More than nine in ten children in Essex have been offered a place at their parents’ first or second preference of primary school following Essex County Council’s continued investment in new school places.
The council created more than 3,000 new school places for the current academic year and is planning to spend about £360 million on creating thousands more over the next three years.
Despite continued growth of the county, the investment means 87.4 per cent of children due to start reception in September have today been offered their parents’ first preference.
A further 6.7 per cent have been offered their second, meaning 94 per cent have been offered one of their top two preferences – a slight increase on last year.
Cllr Ray Gooding, Essex County Council's Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, said: “I am delighted we have once again been able to offer the overwhelming majority of children in Essex one of their parents’ top preferences.
“The pressure on primary school places has increased considerably in recent years but our investment has meant we can continue to meet the rising demand. This achievement is also testament to the hard work of admissions staff, schools and those involved in planning expansions.
“I wish all children starting school for the first time the very best of luck for the future.”
In total, about 16,500 parents in Essex will receive notification of the outcome of their primary school place applications, with those who applied online (about 95 per cent) receiving email confirmation.
