«Breaking News» Secondary school admissions: One-in-five children across UK miss out

Thousands of parents have revealed their frustration today as more than 100,000 primary school pupils missed out on their first choice secondary, with some even claiming to have failed their children. 

Many have vented their feelings on social media, revealing they have 'let their children down' and don't know how to break the news to them, while others have blasted the system.  

A record 115,000 children are expected to lose out this year following a growth in applications of around 23,000 since 2018.   

One mother on mumsnet wrote: 'I stayed up till midnight - we didn't get any of our choices and got given a terrible school. I'm gutted and feel I've failed my ds [son] with my choices for him.'

Another said: 'My DD [daughter] got her second choice. First choice was a grammar school! She will be gutted, I don't know how I am going to tell her. 

'The school she got is an outstanding school. How the blinking heck do I tell my hopeful DD that she didn't get into the school she has dreamed about since year 3?'  

Experts at the Good Schools Guide say 18.8 per cent – around one in five – will lose out on their first choice, up from 17.9 per cent last year, although the data will not be published in full by the Government until the summer. 

Official projections from last year show secondary pupil numbers were due to rise by more than 600,000 by 2023 (stock image)

Some said they stayed up until the early hours to find out only to be disappointed. One parent said their daughter had been dreaming of going to one grammar school since she was seven but has missed out (pictured)

More than 100,000 children across the country are believed to have missed out on their first choice schools today with parents reacting with anger online and asking how they are supposed to explain the situation to their children

One parent wrote they would not show disappointment at their son getting a second choice because 'they did not want them to feel negative'

Others on Twitter criticised the system and said it was 'infuriating' trying to get the best secondary school place 

Another parent who was successful revealed he was disappointed because many of his son's friends would not be joining him in September 

The Guide also warns of a rise in children getting none of their listed choices, after this happened to 4.1 per cent last year. This can be a disaster for families if they are landed with a school which is performing poorly or a long commute from home. 

The explosion in the school-age population is due to a baby boom a decade ago fuelled by high migration in the 1990s and early 2000s.

It means many stayed up until the early hours last night to learn their children's fate only to be left bitterly disappointed. 

One mother on Twitter wrote: 'I find it infuriating & annoying that the secondary school I'm trying to get my son into, to try to offer him the best education I can but very expense (sic), & already informed his chances are unlikely, has two errors in an email sent today, regarding tests, interviews and analysis.'

Another father in Harrogate wrote: 'Gutted to hear some of my sons best mates haven't got into the same secondary school as him. 

'Their parents will devastated. People still refuse to accept too many people are crammed into Harrogate....maybe if it was their child they might see it differently. So unfair for them.'

Many parents vented their frustration on online forums. 

The worst area is set to be Hammersmith and Fulham in London, where 48.6 per cent did not get their first choice last year

One mother actually bemoaned her luck at her twins getting into their first choice school because it meant rising costs of school uniforms

But others were jubilant on Twitter about their children being accepted into their first choice

Even sibling rivalry was put to one side today as families celebrated good news

Another said not only did her son not get his first choice but would now be going to a school that Ofsted has put into special measures.

She wrote on Mumsnet: 'I stayed up until midnight. Ds didn't get his first choice. He got a School that's just gone into special measures.

'I'm beyond gutted. I'm not going to tell him this morning as I don't want him going to school upset.'

But many children did secure their preferred choice and their parents shared their joy on social media.

Tracy Catherall wrote on Twitter: 'We have a very excited boy this morning. High school places are out and he's thrilled to be going to @lawnswoodschool in Sept. I'm feeling a bit emotional about it all.'

Jean Davis added: 'Oldest child got her first choice of Secondary school! The relief...' 

And one mother of twins in Scotland actually bemoaned her luck after both children got into their first choice school.

What to do if you don't get your first choice 

Experts at The Good Schools Guide have the following advice for parents who don't get their first choice school: 

• Accepting the place your child has been offered may go against instinct but it is the wise thing to do. If you don’t accept this initial offer, you run the risk of your child having no school to go to in September.


• Once you have accepted that place, you can try to get on the waiting lists of schools you prefer – even those to which you didn’t originally apply. More places may become free before the start of the new academic year.


• Check out the school you’ve been allocated in greater detail. It might be better than you fear. A bad local reputation could be based on out-of-date information such as an old Ofsted report. Check last year’s public exam results or speak to parents at the school gate.


• It is your legal right to appeal to any of the schools on your original application. For more details visit www.gov.uk/schools-admissions/appealing-a-schools-decision 


• In the end you may have little choice but for your child to attend the school you’ve been given, no matter how much you dislike it. The job of getting your child settled there will be much harder if they know how negatively you view it. Try not to talk the school down too much when they’re around. 

Known as Anna, she wrote: 'High school places accepted for the the twins...... will now be permanently poor, saving money for the uniforms (more like a whole new wardrobe once you work your way through the list). 

Although the full UK data on how many children secured a place at their first choice school will not be published until later this year, some individual councils have revealed their results.

One large drop came in Newcastle, where 75 per cent of first choice places were successful from 2,325 applications, down 14 per cent from 2018.

But there was also a sharp drop in the number of places needed of around 600. 

In Bristol there were 4,983 applications for places, a slight increase on 4,900 in 2018, with 90.6 per cent successful in their preferred choice, up from 90 per cent last year.

Meanwhile 82 per cent of parents were able to secure their first choice school in Leeds from 9,141 applications, which was almost exactly the same figures as the previous year. 

In London there have been around 96,000 applications, a rise of 4,000 on 2018, but only 66 per cent will secure their first choice, according to the Guide, with at least 16 of the capital's 32 boroughs oversubscribed. But those in the capital will not find out the results of their efforts until 5pm. 

The figures come from analysis of Government data by experts at the guide. A record 606,000 pupils need places this year, and today most parents can see their offer online, although some will receive it via post. Depending on the local authority, families were asked to list between three and six schools in order of preference on the application submitted in October.

Bernadette John, Good Schools Guide director, said: 'It has been known for a long time that secondary schools would need to accommodate increased pupil numbers but little action seems to have been taken.'

On London, she added: 'London parents are pulling their hair out because once again families in the capital are being let down by inadequate provision. 

'Parts of the capital aren't just short of places at good schools, they're short of places full-stop. 

'The demographic bulge which has worked its way through primary schools and is now hitting secondary schools has been a long time coming but it is proving very hard to open new schools in the capital and the alternative of adding classes to schools already fit to burst is not sustainable. 

'We will continue to see demand for Year 7 places grow until at least 2022 and to rub further salt in the wound, London parents who wish to challenge a school place decision have the worst rate of success for appeals in the country.'  

Parents in London vented their frustration on Mumsnet about not learning the results of their applications until 5pm today

Other hotspots will be Reading, where 33.7 per cent missed out in 2018. Increase in school-age population is due to 1990s migration-fuelled baby boom

In Birmingham 32.1 per cent were disappointed  last year. Of 606,000 pupils needing spots, 115,000 are expected to miss their first choice

The worst area is set to be Hammersmith and Fulham in London, where 48.6 per cent did not get their first choice last year, and 14.1 per cent got none of their six choices. 

Other hotspots will be Reading, where 33.7 per cent missed out in 2018, and Birmingham, where 32.1 per cent were disappointed.

Mrs John added: 'Some parts of the country simply do not have enough places to satisfy local demand and elsewhere, many under-performing schools are rejected by families, resulting in the desperate rush as parents put their hopes in the good local school which, of course, is hugely oversubscribed.'

Mike Pemberton, head of the public law team at Stephensons Solicitors, recommended disappointed parents always accept their allocated place before appealing. They should also sign up to any waiting lists for their preferred schools. And the guide suggested that as only a quarter of appeals are successful, parents should re-examine their allocated school as a 'bad local reputation could be based on out-of-date information'.

How to appeal a school place allocation 

Parents have a legal right to appeal if their child is not allocated their first choice school place.

A local authority must give a parent 20 days to send an appeal letter.

The next step is a hearing, which parents must be given 10 days notice of ahead of the date. 

For more information, visit: www.gov.uk/schools-admissions/appealing-a-schools-decision 

'In the end, you may have little choice but for your child to attend the school you've been given, no matter how much you dislike it,' the guide warned. 'The job of getting your child settled there will be much harder if they know how negatively you view it.' Last year, 104,314 of the 582,761 applicants did not get their first choice.

The Government has previously admitted that the baby boom which occurred in the 2000s was down to high migration because migrant women had a higher birth rate than UK-born women. Official projections from last year show secondary pupil numbers were due to rise by more than 600,000 by 2023.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said councils need more freedom to create places. He said: 'For too many, there will be huge disappointment. In some parts of the country, it will mean children having to travel long distances to go to secondary school or being separated from their peers.'

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said: 'Today is a significant milestone for thousands of parents and children finding out which secondary school they will be attending from September.

'This Government is determined to create more choice for parents when it comes to their children's education and we have created 825,000 school places since 2010, and are on track to see that number rise to a million by 2020.

'Standards have also risen, with 86 per cent of schools now good or outstanding, compared to 68 per cent in 2010, and last year more than nine out of 10 pupils got a place at one of their top three choices, setting them on the path for a successful future.'

11-plus 'doesn't harm pupils'  

Putting children through grammar school entrance exams has little negative impact on their mental health, a study suggests.

Debunking a myth often cited by left-wing campaigners, research from University College London found that pupils who live in grammar school areas are just as happy as those who do not.

The findings come amid a crusade against grammars led by Tony Benn's daughter Melissa, who claims entrance tests cause too much stress.

Researchers analysed Millennium Cohort Study data from 4,784 children at age 11 – when the test is taken – and 14, when any 'lasting impact' might have become apparent.

Of those children, 1,094 lived within 'selective' areas – where children routinely take the 11-plus exam – such as Kent and Buckinghamshire.

The other 3,690 lived in comprehensive areas, where most secondary-age children simply go to their local school without taking an exam.

Each child was interviewed about their mental health and given scores.

The analysis showed that on average, children reported 'similar levels of wellbeing and school satisfaction' at both 11 and 14 regardless of which type of area they lived in.

Lead author professor John Jerrim said: 'If exposure to the academic selection process affected pupils' mental states, then we could expect to see an association between living in a selective area and pupils' social and emotional outcomes around the time they take entrance exams, but we observed no such relationship.'

The study is published today in the American Education Research Journal and was funded by the Nuffield Foundation.

Theresa May has said she is still keen to encourage grammars to expand after she was forced in 2017 to scrap her plans to create a raft of entirely new ones.

Miss Benn is currently vice-chairman of pressure group Comprehensive Future, which wants to stop the expansion of selective schools.

Link hienalouca.com

https://hienalouca.com/2019/03/01/secondary-school-admissions-one-in-five-children-across-uk-miss-out/
Main photo article Thousands of parents have revealed their frustration today as more than 100,000 primary school pupils missed out on their first choice secondary, with some even claiming to have failed their children. 
Many have vented their feelings on social media, revealing they have ‘let their children ...

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