The proportion of children securing a place at their first-choice secondary school is set to hit a record low, education leaders fear. On Wednesday, families will find out which state secondary ...

Department for Education (DfE) data shows that last year 82.6% of secondary school applicants were offered a place at their first choice - down from 83.3% in 2022.

Official data show that last year, 83.3 per cent of pupils were offered their first choice of secondary school nationally, a slight rise on 81.1 per cent in 2021.

Official data shows that, last year, 82.9% of pupils were offered their first choice of secondary school – which was up slightly on 82.6% in 2023.