Parents find out children's primary school place

It's always a nervous time as parents wait to find out if their child will be going to their first-choice school, being allocated one of their other choices, or, in the very rare case, a totally different school.

Most families will be delighted by the allocation, but some may be disheartened and seek other options.

99 % of Wiltshire children have been offered one of their three primary school preferences with 96% offered their first preference.

Most parents apply for school places online. This accounted for 4858 of the 4911 applications made.

Parents and carers who have applied online will be sent an email confirming the school place offered to their child unless they have selected to receive their decision by the Parent Portal, in which case they will need to log into the Parent Portal to view the outcome.

Philippa Carter, head teacher at Winterbourne Earls Primary School, says people don't need to panic. "Begin open communication with the school where your child has been offered a place.

"If you haven't been offered your first choice, you may be pleasantly surprised by the school you have been offered. There will also be schools locally that will have spaces.

"Because of the low birth year, a good number of schools in and around Salisbury have room in their reception classes for September 2024.

"We are very lucky that many of the South Wiltshire schools are very good, and your options will still be good."

Primary schools across the area have spaces, including Winterbourne Earls, Salisbury's best-performing school in last year's Year Six SAT results, where 81% of pupils met the expected standard.

They, along with other schools, will hold further open days or will be happy to show you around and discuss options.

Philippa continued, "When exploring other options, visiting schools and seeing how happy and content the children seem would be good. I am sure all schools would happily show you and your child around their school to help you decide.

"The induction days before starting school are also really important to help prepare your child for starting school."

Parents who applied online can accept, hold/decline or withdraw their application online on the Wiltshire Council Parent Portal - https://parentportal.wiltshire.gov.uk/web/portal/pages/home

If you submitted a paper application, the outcome will be posted to you today; you will receive it in the coming days.

Follow the instructions in the decision letter to accept or decline your school place by the deadline.

All parents and carers have until 30 April 2024 to confirm if they wish to accept or decline the place offered to their child. Parents will need their user ID and password to do so.

Laura Mayes, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: “Today marks an important first step as children prepare to start their school days.

“We know that many families will be eagerly awaiting the outcome of their school application and we wish them all the best in this next chapter.

“Once again I’m pleased to announce that 99% of Wiltshire children, have secured a place at one of their preferred schools, which will be welcome news for most families.

“I’d like to thank our hard-working officers for their careful planning which ensures we have sufficient places across the county for all our pupils.”

The right to an independent appeal is open to anyone who has not received an offer at one of their preferred schools.

Parents who wish to appeal for a place at a voluntary controlled or community school should visit our website for details of how to appeal.

Parents who wish to appeal for a place at a voluntary aided, foundation school or an academy should contact the school directly to lodge an appeal. Parents who have any further general queries regarding admissions can email admissions@wiltshire.gov.uk or contact our customer services on 01225 713010