For parents of young children preparing to enter reception this year, the final months before their years-long school journey begins will be flying by.
Primary school is an important time, where the foundations of their education will be laid out. But it also plays an enormous role in their social and emotional development - which is why finding a school that’s the right fit for your family is so important. This also means that your child not being offered a place in the primary school you had hoped for can be disappointing, to say the least.
Last week, the Government released its latest figures for the upcoming 2025/25 school year, which show how many children across England received an offer from their family’s first choice of state-funded primary or secondary school - as well as how many missed out on any of their back-up options.
If your child didn’t get a place at your first choice of school, it’s likely through no fault of your own. The Government says that there can be all sorts of reasons behind this, including local school quality, travel patterns, and the demand for school places in your area.
But this, of course, can vary depending on where you live. We’ve broken the new data down by local authority area, to help parents of primary school-aged children across the North West of England get a general idea of what acceptance rates look like in their community. Council areas have been ranked based on the percentage of new starters offered a spot in their family’s first choice of school - and we’ve included the percentage of children offered a place in at least one of their chosen options for each area as well.
Here’s how they did, from those with the highest first choice offer rates, to those with the lowest:
19. Blackburn with Darwen
In Blackburn with Darwen, 90.9% of new primary school starters were offered a place at their family’s first choice of school for the upcoming year. Overall, 98.3% received an offer from at least one of the preferred schools they had selected. | Adobe Stock
20. Knowsley
In Knowsley, 90.3% of new primary school starters were offered a place at their family’s first choice of school for the upcoming year. This is the equivalent of about one in 10 children missing out on their parents’ preferred option. Overall, 97.1% received an offer from at least one of the schools they had selected. | Google
21. Bolton
In Bolton, 89.7% of new primary school starters were offered a place at their family’s first choice of school for the upcoming year. Overall, 97.6% received an offer from at least one of the preferred schools they had selected. | Adobe Stock
22. Liverpool
In Liverpool, the rate of new primary school starters offered a place at their family’s first choice of primary school was also 89.7%. Overall, 97.4% received an offer from at least one of the preferred schools they had selected. | vichie81/Adobe Stock
23. Wigan
In Wigan, the rate of new primary school starters offered a place at their family’s first choice of primary school was once again 89.7%. Overall, 97% received an offer from at least one of the preferred schools they had selected. | Google
24. Salford
The local authority area with the lowest rate of children accepted into their first choice primary school in the North West is Salford. Here, 89.3% of new primary school starters were offered a place at their family’s first choice of school for the upcoming year. Overall, 96.5% received an offer from at least one of the preferred schools they had selected. | Alberto Exposito/Adobe Stock