New figures have looked into the hardest primary and secondary schools to get into in Solihull.
Three-quarters of pupils in Solihull were admitted to their first-choice secondary school, the 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 2,848 children applied for a place at a secondary school in Solihull for the 2023-24 academic year.
Of them, 2,091 (73.4%) were admitted to their first choice, while 2,698 (94.7%) 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.
In Solihull, the total number of applications rose as well. Meanwhile, the proportion of children receiving their first choice decreased, as would be expected.
Meanwhile, a record number of primary-aged pupils across the country received a place at their preferred school for 2023-24 – some 92.5% were offered their first choice, up from 92.2% in 2022-23 and the highest figure since 2014-15.
However, there was also a record low number of applications, with just 568,560 children fighting for the school places. In Solihull, 2,096 of 2,265 children (92.5%) secured a place at their first preference.
With this in mind, we’ve take a closer look at the figures to unveil the 15 hardest Solihull primary schools to get into.
1. Tudor Grange Primary Academy St James, Shirley
38% of parents who made it their first choice were offered a place for their child. A total of 49 applicants had the school as their first choice but did not get in
2. Oak Cottage Primary School, Solihull
45% of parents who made it their first choice were offered a place for their child. A total of 36 applicants had the school as their first choice but did not get in
3. St Margaret’s Church of England Primary School, Solihull
74% of parents who made it their first choice were offered a place for their child. A total of 10 applicants had the school as their first choice but did not get in
4. St Patricks Church of England Primary Academy, Solihull
81% of parents who made it their first choice were offered a place for their child. A total of 7 applicants had the school as their first choice but did not get in