Half of parents applying to Essex primary school offered place
One primary school in Essex is so oversubscribed that half of parents who put it down as their first choice didn’t get a place there.
One primary school in Essex is so oversubscribed that half of parents who put it down as their first choice didn’t get a place there.
As many parents prepare to submit admission applications for their children’s primary school places, official data shows that Essex’s most oversubscribed primary school is Messing Primary School near Colchester.
Of the 21 applications putting the school down as a first-place preference, just 11 were offered a place – 52 per cent.
Just 53 per cent of parents putting Lee Chapel Primary School in Basildon – the second most oversubscribed school – were successful in being offered a place.
And Elm Hall Primary School in Witham saw 55 first palace preferences for 30 offers, equating to a 55 per cent success rate.
Last year almost 16,000 applications were received by Essex County Council for primary school places starting in September 2024.
98.6 per cent received one of their parents' preferences of schools – the highest ever percentage.
It was also the highest percentage of first preference offers in Essex since admissions have been fully co-ordinated.
The window for a primary reception school place at an Essex primary school starting September 2025 opens on November 4, 2024, and closes on January 15, 2025.
Parents are likely to be told the results of their primary school applications in April.