Leeds school places 2022: This is how many families got their first place

Families are asked to name five preferred schools when applying for a place in reception, and the percentage of first preference offers made continues to rise.

This year 91.2 per cent are being offered a place at their first preference school, an increase of 4 per cent in the last two years (up from 89.2 per cent last year and 87 per cent in 2020).

In total 9047 children have been allocated a place at one of their top five preferred schools.

Shaheen Myers, Leeds City Council’s deputy director of learning, said: “We understand that choosing a school can feel like one of the biggest decisions parents and carers will make for their child.

“We encourage families to include their catchment or nearest school and to use all five preferences when they apply. I am pleased that we have been able to offer a preferred school to over 99 per cent of applicants this year.

“Families do however have options if the offer wasn’t the outcome they had hoped for, and we will do our best to work with anyone who wants to explore other ways forward.”

Children who could not be offered one of their five preferred schools are offered a place at a suitable alternative school.

Ninety children are in this situation, 0.98 per cent of the total places offered which is a reduction from 155 (1.7 per cent of places offered) last year.

Of these children, 87 were offered a school place less than a mile from home and three were allocated a school within 1.65 miles of their home address.

To accept the offer of a school place, parents should contact the school direct, no later than the deadline stated in their offer email or letter.

Parents who wish to decline their offer must first make sure they have another offer, or a plan for how their child will be educated.

Parents can also ask to be added to the waiting lists at schools which did not offer a place. The deadline for requesting to join a waiting list is Monday, May 2.

Alternatively, parents can submit an appeal if their child did not get a place at the school they wanted, no later than Monday, May 16.