90pc of pupils in Wolverhampton given first choice school

Some 86 per cent of pupils have landed places at their first preference – a rise of seven per cent on last year.

Out of a total of 2,438 applications, 2,116 got their top choice school, while 211, or 8.65 per cent, were allocated their second choice.

Last year 79.38 per cent of applicants gained their first choice, and 95.27 per cent got any of their five preferences – compared to 98.65 per cent this time round.

A total of 48 children, or 1.7 per cent, were offered their third choice, and 23, or 0.9 per cent, got their fourth.

Seven youngsters – which is 0.29 per cent of all applications – landed their fifth preference.

Education chief Councillor Phil Page said he was “pleased” with the figures and added: “It shows we are able to meet a high percentage of families’ requirements.

“Wolverhampton is almost unique in the country as we have a very close relationship with our schools and this is paying off.”

Tens of thousands of children across the country have been finding out which school they will be going to in September.

In Staffordshire just 327 pupils missed out on their first-choice secondary school.

Of the 8,185 applications submitted, 96 per cent of parents will be sending their child to their preferred school in September.

A total of 99 per cent were allocated one of their top three preferred schools.

Staffordshire county councillor Ian Parry, cabinet member for education, said: “Obviously parents want the very best for their children so we try to accommodate their wishes as far as is practicable.”

Figures released in October last year revealed that more than 3,000 parents in the Black Country and Staffordshire lodged appeals with councils after their children failed to get into their  top choice schools, with just nine per cent proving successful.

The data released by the Department for Education, which related to infant, primary and secondary schools, showed that parents in Sandwell submitted the most appeals with a total of 1,259 lodged.

There were 505 appeals submitted in Dudley, 574 submitted in Staffordshire, 468 in Wolverhampton and 430 in Walsall, for the 2010/11 academic year.