Herefordshire Council announced today (Wednesday, March 1) that 1,810 places have been offered in schools across the county, slightly lower than last year's 1,860 offers.

The success rates for parental preferences are as follows: 90.6 per cent of parents received their first choice of school, 6.6 per cent received their second choice, and 0.55 per cent received their third choice. A cumulative success rate of 97.8 per cent was achieved this year, slightly higher than 2022's 96.5 per cent.

The remaining 2.2 per cent of places offered went to parents whose preferences could not be met, and their offer was for the nearest school to their home address with available spaces. Herefordshire schools continue to be a net importer of pupils, with more pupils from neighbouring counties requesting places in the county's schools than Herefordshire pupils requesting places in other counties. Herefordshire offered 99 places to children, while neighbouring counties offered 88 places to Herefordshire children.

There are currently four Herefordshire secondary schools with waiting lists, five schools with available spaces, and the remaining five schools are at their published admissions number for the year group.

The council's online application service was promoted again this year, and 90.3 per cent of parents applied online, compared to 86.3 per cent last year.

At the end of March, 17 known pupils who did not apply for a school place will be allocated a place at the nearest school to their home address with available spaces. Parents who are not satisfied with their child's school placement can submit an appeal application within 20 working days of receiving their offer.