Essex County Council reveals applications for secondary school places with 97% of parents offered one of their chosen schools
Essex County Council (ECC) has revealed that 97% of schoolchildren have been offered one of their preferred places at secondary school.
Parents of 16,758 pupils countywide discovered the outcome of their secondary school applications last week and 92.58% have been offered either their first or second choice.
A total of 83.86% are being offered their parents’ first preference this year, with a further 8.72% being offered the second school named on their list.
Third choice schools were offered to 2.7% of children; 1.13% were offered fourth place; 0.54% fifth place and 0.24% sixth place. A total of 2.81% of parents could not be offered a preference and have been offered a place at the nearest school with capacity.
And this year, 99% of families used the online service to register for their child’s preferred secondary.
Councillor Tony Ball, Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability at ECC, said: “I am really pleased to see that, once again, we have been able to offer so many pupils their parents’ preferred secondary school place this year.
“Starting secondary school is a hugely important milestone in a child’s life and I hope those embarking on this exciting next step enjoy their last few months at primary and junior school before starting their next academic adventure.”
Full breakdown of figures for 2025
Total number of applicants = 16,758
Full breakdown of figures for 2024
Total number of applicants = 17,039
