Parents and carers in North Yorkshire are being asked to apply for school places online ahead of a deadline at the end of next month.
Applications opened on Saturday (12 September) to children in Year 6 who are born between 1 September, 2015, to 31 August, 2016, and any child transferring from primary school to secondary school next year must apply for a place by Saturday, 31 October.
In North Yorkshire, parents can list up to five schools in order of preference on their common application form. National Offer Day when parents find out about secondary school places is on 1 March next year.
Last year’s school admission figures revealed 90 per cent of families in North Yorkshire secured their first preference. A total of 97 per cent of all families in the county who requested a school place received an offer for one of their top three preferences of secondary school.
Executive member for education, learning and skills, Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, said: “Starting secondary school is a major milestone in a child’s education and we always want the admissions process to be as easy and smooth as possible for families.
“There is always a high demand for school places and we do our utmost to ensure that children are offered a place at their preferred secondary school. If parents apply online it will help with the efficiency of the process.
“Parents of Year 6 children can state their preference for up to five schools on their common application form and it is a tight window so I would urge parents and carers to submit their application as early as they can.”
Parents are asked to take into account North Yorkshire Council’s home to school travel policy when making their school choices, particularly considering the main eligibility criteria that transport is provided to the nearest suitable school with available places to their home address where it is over the statutory walking distance.
Parents are also reminded that the catchment school for admissions may not be their nearest suitable school for travel purposes.
If transport is an important factor when choosing a school, see more details. You can see the eligibility criteria for home to school travel and also use the online tool to find your nearest school to your home address.