Councils voice funding concerns after rise in secondary school applications
Applications for secondary school places have risen for the second consecutive year, reaching 521,274, with the proportion of pupils given their first choice falling from 85 to 84 per cent.
Pupils are most likely to be offered their first choice school in the North East, while those in London are the least likely.
An LGA spokesperson said: "Councils and schools have proven they can rise to the challenge and be both innovative and cost effective. In all, 300,000 primary school places have been created since May 2010 with many schools going to extraordinary lengths to ensure there is a place for every child, including increasing class sizes, diverting money from vital school repair programmes and converting non-classroom space, such as music rooms.
"Government now needs to properly address the issue by committing to provide long term and sufficient funding for school places so that councils and schools can continue to successfully meet the need."
Latest News
30/09/2025 - 09:51
The Chancellor has committed over £10 million in funding to guarantee a library for all primary schools by the end of this parliament.
30/09/2025 - 09:45
New data from Ofqual shows that schools and colleges across England are making progress in cyber security training, but are struggling to recover quickly from attacks when they occur.
29/09/2025 - 10:34
Low-income White children (LIWC) are among the least engaged pupils in England’s schools, according to new research.
29/09/2025 - 09:32
The government has confirmed it will be expanding its free breakfast club scheme to 2,000 new schools from April 2026.
26/09/2025 - 11:08
Three schools have been fitted with solar panels over the summer as part of a government-funded scheme, with eight more schools set to get their solar panels this autumn.
