Secondary school students get places today – check performances in your area

01 March 2024 , 16:27

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The majority of pupils got their first choice of secondary school in England and Wales last year (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Parents of Year 6 pupils in England and Wales will today find out where their children will be going for secondary school in September.

In most cases, incoming secondary school kids should get their first choice of school, with 83 per cent of pupils receiving an offer from their preference last year. A further 13 per cent got a place at one of their options last year. But 4 per cent were offered a place at a school they had not chosen.

But how well do you know the secondary school your child will be starting at in the next academic year? You can use our interactive gadget to find find out the Key Stage 4 performance data for every school in England:

The data used to create this tool is pulled from the latest research conducted by the Department for Education. It shows the percentage of pupils from secondary schools in England and Wales who achieved Grade 5 or above in their GCSEs.

You can also see what rating the school got in its Progress 8 assessment, which is a measurement of the progress a school's pupils make between primary school and the end of their GCSEs. Parents can also consult the data to find out the school's Attainment 8 score, which has been translated into the old grading system of A, B, C.

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Attainment 8 refers to the measure published once a year that shows the average academic performance of a secondary school. Parents or carers can appeal secondary school decisions if they want to by first contacting the school's admission authority, which can be found on their local council's website. They will then organise an appeal panel.

The panel that assesses these appeals is totally independent so will look at the case presented by both sides then decide on whether the school should admit the child. The appeal panel's decision is binding so if the appeal is upheld, the admission authority has to offer a place in the school to the child.

Some schools will naturally get more applications than it has places for and so not every parent will be successful in securing their first choice of secondary school for their child. Priority is then given to pupils who most closely meet the school's admission arrangements.

In the very unlikely event that a parent or carer does not receive an offer of a place for their child on 1 March, they should contact their local authority to seek advice.

David Dubas-Fisher