THE majority of Worcester parents have found out that their child has a place at their preferred high school.

Worcestershire County Council has revealed that 5,365 children, or 95.15 per cent, got their first choice of school on National Admissions Day earlier this month.

This is higher than 2017, when the figure was 93.65 per cent.

Parents were emailed the news on March 1, but for those who did not get the first choice place for their pupils there is still the option of appealing. If the offer is not one of a parents preferred schools or academies this is because other applicants had higher priority within the determined admission arrangements.

The options available to parents are to appeal the decision, or add a child's name to waiting lists for other schools.

The appeals secretariat, based at County Hall in Worcester, makes arrangements for appeals. The secretariat is separate from the education functions of the county council and as much as they may want to help, cannot answer questions about the initial allocation of school places.

All requests for appeals should be made to the school admissions team or to the school involved if that school is an academy or foundation school or where the school has voluntary aided status.

On the appeal process, Imogen Jolley, a specialist education solicitor from Simpson Millar, said: "First of all don't panic.

“There are still six months before your child starts school and a lot of things can change in that time. There will be movement on pupils and their places between schools.

"What they (parents) really need to be doing is looking at unique arguments for that specific school as to how that child, or the family is going to suffer in some way, if that child doesn't get a place at that particular school.

“But they also need to look at arguments to show that the school isn't going to suffer by being oversubscribed - and I think quite often, parents don't realise they need to argue both sides."

For more details on appealing a decision visit worcestershire.gov.uk/info/20099/school_admissions/544/appealing_an_admissions_decision.