FEWER Shropshire pupils have been offered a place at their primary school of choice, figures reveal.

Department for Education data shows 93.4 per cent of pupils starting primary school in Shropshire in September have been offered a place at their preferred school – slightly down from 93.6 per cent last year.

It means 184 children have missed out on their top choice.

Across England, 91.8 per cent of children received an offer from their preferred school, up from 90.2 per cent last year.

The Association of School and College Leaders says the system was not working well enough for all schools.

Geoff Barton, general secretary, said: "Most pupils gain places at their first-choice schools, but a significant number, particularly at secondary level, don't do so, and this is bound to be very disappointing for the families concerned.

"The main reason this happens is the competition which exists for places at schools which are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted.

"These schools are often over-subscribed and some families therefore miss out on their first preference.

"The solution is for the government to put more support into struggling schools and make sure every family has access to a good school place.

"Unfortunately, the current system is not working well enough for schools which face the greatest degree of challenge and the communities they serve."

The figures also show the number of applications to primary schools in Shropshire has decreased by 3.4 per cent to 2,802.

Meanwhile, the proportion of secondary school pupils who have been offered their first choice of school is up slightly from 90.4 per cent last year to 91.4 per cent.

Across England, the proportion of children receiving an offer from their preferred secondary school dropped to 81.1 per cent, from 82.2 per cent last year.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said secondary school pupils who miss out on their school of choice, may be forced to travel long distances or being separated from their peers.

He added: "The government's own figures show that an extra 418,000 secondary school places will be needed in England by 2027, to meet the 14.7 per cent rise in pupil population.

"There is a desperate need for long-term planning that spans all sectors."

School standards minister Nick Gibb said: "For the fourth consecutive year more than 90 per cent of children have been offered a place at either their top primary school choice or one of their top three secondary school choices, which I know means a huge amount to families.

"Children and young people are now vastly more likely to be at a good or outstanding school than they were 10 years ago, so parents across the country can be confident their child will get the high-quality education they deserve."

The DfE said several local authorities had advised that a larger than usual number of applications were submitted late. Those are not included in these figures.

The DfE added that there might be an increase in the number of families opting to home school due to the pandemic, while a reduction in migration, because of the pandemic travel controls, may have contributed to the fall.