Deadline announced for all North Yorks parents to apply for their child's secondary school place
Parents and carers across North Yorkshire are being asked to apply for school places online in good time and are being warned to be aware of recent changes to the county’s school bus policy for pupils.
Applications are now open with parents able to list up to five schools in order of preference on their common application form.
Any child transferring from primary school to secondary school next year must apply for a place by Friday, October 31. Applications for primary schools will open later in the year.
Last year’s school admission figures showed a total of 90 per cent of families in North Yorkshire secured their first preference.
In total, 96 per cent of all families in the county who requested a school place received an offer from the authority for one of their top three preferences of secondary school.
North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director for inclusion, Amanda Fielding, said: “There is always a high demand for school places and we do our utmost to ensure that children are offered a place at their preferred secondary school.
“If parents apply online it will help with the efficiency of the process.”
The results will be revealed on National Offer Day next year - March 2.
Parents are also being reminded to review the implications of North Yorkshire Council’s home to school travel policy.
In particular, they should take into account the main eligibility criteria that transport is provided to the nearest suitable school with available places to their home address where it is over the statutory walking distance.
The change of policy proved controversial earlier this year with some parents condemning it as “impractical and unfair”.
The council is reminding parents that the catchment school for admissions may not be their nearest suitable school for travel purposes.
If transport is an important factor when choosing a school, go to: https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/travelsupport for more information.
The web page shows the eligibility criteria for home to school travel and helps parents find the nearest school to their home address.
To find out more about school admissions and how to apply go to: www.northyorks.gov.uk/education-and-learning/school-admissions/starting-secondary-school.