On 1 March, children in Somerset who are starting secondary school in September 2024 discovered which school they will be attending.

Parents and carers who have applied for places online will be emailed with their offer of a school place, whilst those who applied via a paper form will receive their offer by post in the coming days.

This year, the Council received 4,772 secondary school applications compared to 4,785 in 2023. In total, 93.56% of children received a place at their first preference school, with 98.14% offered one of their top three choices.

From the applications received this year, figures show:

• 1st preference met – 4465 (93.56%)
• 2nd preference met – 193 (4.04%)
• 3rd preference met – 26 (0.54%)

Cllr Heather Shearer, Lead Member for Children, Families and Education at Somerset Council, said:

At Somerset Council we aim to provide the best possible education for all our young people. We are proud of our services, especially being able to offer such a high percentage of pupils their preferred school place for another year running. We wish all pupils the best of luck in this next exciting chapter of their lives.”

Parents and carers of children not offered one or more of their three secondary school preferences have various options available to them.

To find out more visit the Council’s Refused a place at your preferred school webpage.

Primary, junior, and middle school places will be announced in April.