On March 2, Year 6 pupils across the country found out which secondary school has offered them a place for September 2026.
The vast majority of pupils have been offered a place at one of their preferred schools – most their top choice.
We will not publish this year’s preference data until June but the data from last year showed that:
- In 2025, 83.5% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school and 94.9% received offers from one of their top three choices.
- In 2025, 92.6% of families were offered their first-choice primary school and 98.6% received offers from one of their top three choices.
What happens once I receive an offer of a school place?
In England, the offer letter or email will explain what you need to do next. You may need to accept the place by a given deadline – if you miss that, the offer could be withdrawn and the place be given to someone else.
Can I appeal a school placement decision?
Parents or carers who want to appeal a decision should first contact the school’s admission authority, which is responsible for organising the appeal panel. Parents and carers can find their school’s admission authority by visiting their local council website: Find your local council - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The panel is independent and will look at the case presented by both the admission authority and the parent before making a decision on whether the school should admit the child.
The decision of the appeal panel is binding – if the appeal is upheld, the admission authority must offer the child a place at the school.
Admission authorities and appeal panels must comply with the statutory School Admission Appeals Code, which is available here. Guidance for parents on the admission appeals process can also be found here.
Why has my child not been offered a place at one of their preferred schools?
Sometimes schools will receive more applications than it has places available and unfortunately not every parent will be successful. Priority must be given to those who most closely meet the school’s published admission arrangements.
If the local authority is unable to offer a place at one of the parents’ preferred schools, it must offer a place at another school where it has a place available.
In the unlikely event that a parent does not receive an offer of a place on March 2, parents should contact their local authority for further advice.
What can I expect from an admissions appeal?
Your appeal may take place in person, remotely by video call, or via a hybrid of the two.
Whatever the format, admission authorities must make sure that all appeals are conducted in a fair and transparent way so that everyone can present their cases fully.
What are you doing to make sure there are enough school places?
The department has announced over £2.5 billion to support LAs to create mainstream school places needed between May 2024 and September 2028, paid across 2023-24 to 2027-28.