As the school application process begins, the top 10 most oversubscribed Greater Manchester schools have been revealed.
Figures show that just 36 per cent of those who put The Blue Coat C of E School, on Egerton Street in Oldham town centre, as their first choice secondary school secured a place for this September. The school had nearly three first choice applications for each of the 236 places offered - with 654 parents in total picking it as a first choice.
There were just over six applications in total - including first, second and third choice - for each place offered at this school. No one who put the school as their second or third preferences was given a place, so high was the demand.
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William Hulme's Grammar School, in Whalley Range, was the second hardest school to get into, figures reveal. Only 46 per cent of parents who put this school, just off Princess Road, as their first preference choice for their kids were given a place. A total of 322 did put it as their first choice, with 176 places offered overall, equivalent to 1.8 first preferences per place offered.
Meanwhile, for primary schools, Moorgate Primary School in Tonge, Bolton, was the hardest place for parents to secure a place throughout Greater Manchester. The school had 2.3 first preference applications for each of the 29 spots offered, with just 43 per cent of parents who put it as their first choice successfully getting a place. Overall, the primary school was put down as a preference 115 times, with no second and no third preferences being successful in their applications.
Propps Hall Junior Infant and Nursery in Failsworth was the next hardest primary for parents to secure a spot for their child. They received 65 first preferences applications for just 30 places available. This is equivalent to 2.2 applications per place available with only 46 per cent of those who did put it as their first choice getting a place.
With children returning to school for the new year, applications for places for those set to start primary or secondary school next September are starting to open. The application deadline for applying for a secondary place is October 31, while it is January 15, 2023, for primary applications.
For this September across the country, 83 per cent of applicants got their first choice of secondary school, up from 81 per cent in 2021. This increase is affected by the return of selective school tests to their original timetable. Applicants for 2022 places knew whether they were eligible to be considered for selective schools before having to make their school choices, while in the previous year applications had been before the tests, meaning fewer applications were rejected for those who didn’t later reach the standard needed to be eligible for an offer.
The proportion of primary school applicants who received their first choice school remained at 92 per cent, figures reveal. This was based on a 1 per cent drop in the number of applicants for a place at primary school, to around 576,100. This is likely to be a result of the continued drop in births seen from 2016 onwards.
The data from the Department for Education is based on figures from National Offers Day, so data held directly by individual schools may differ, for example, because late applications were included.
Here are the top 10 oversubscribed schools across Greater Manchester:
- The Blue Coat C of E Secondary School, Oldham
- Moorgate Primary School, Tonge, Bolton
Propps Hall Junior Infant and Nursery, Failsworth
William Hulme's Grammar School, in Whalley Range, Manchester
Cheadle Hulme Primary School, Cheadle Hulme
Stretford Grammar School, Stretford
Eden Boy's Secondary School, Bolton
James Brindley Community Primary School, Walkden
Yesoiday Hatorah Boys Academy, Prestwich
Laurus Cheadle Hulme Secondary School, Cheadle Hulme
If you want to know how many applications there were for a place at a school in your area, you can use our interactive to explore how successful people applying were this September.
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