Nearly three-quarters of pupils in Birmingham were admitted to their first-choice secondary school, new figures show.
The Association of School and College Leaders said the rising number of secondary school pupils is putting pressure on applications, especially in more affluent areas that have schools with good or outstanding Ofsted ratings.
Department for Education figures show 15,114 children applied for a place at a secondary school in Birmingham for the 2023-24 academic year.
Of them, 10,824 (71.6%) were admitted to their first choice, while 14,440 (95.5%) received a place from at least one school in their top six choices.
Areas that allow children to select more than three preferred schools generally have a lower first-choice acceptance rate as parents tend to be a little more speculative with their applications.
Nationally, 82.6% of secondary school applicants received an offer from their first choice for 2023-24 – down from 83.3% the year before – while the proportion securing a place from any of their favoured schools fell slightly from 95.8% in 2022-23 to 95.6%.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the ASCL, said the slight fall in pupils receiving their first offer could be due to the rising number of applications – some 619,991 pupils applied for a secondary school place for 2023-24, the highest number since records began in 2014-15.
We’ve taken a closer look at the figures to unveil the 15 hardest Birmingham primary schools to get into in Birmingham.
1. Eden Girls’ Leadership Academy, Small Heath
26% of parents who made it their first choice were offered a place for their child. A total of 340 applicants had the school as their first choice but did not get in
2. Eden Boys’ Leadership Academy, Pelham in Alum Rock
32% of parents who made it their first choice were offered a place for their child. A total of 250 applicants had the school as their first choice but did not get in
3. Eden Boys’ School, Handsworth Wood
32% of parents who made it their first choice were offered a place for their child. A total of 235 applicants had the school as their first choice but did not get in
4. King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys, Kings Heath
39% of parents who made it their first choice were offered a place for their child. A total of 227 applicants had the school as their first choice but did not get in