Portsmouth parents urged to get secondary school applications in

Anyone whose child is currently in Year 6 needs to apply for a secondary school place for September 2017.

Places are also being taken for the Year 10 group at Portsmouth’s new University Technical College, being built on the Trafalgar School site in Hilsea.

The college will give students the chance to gain qualifications fit for careers in electrical and mechanical engineering and advanced manufacturing.

Pupils would work around an 8.30am to 5pm daily timetable so they get familiar with a normal working day at the college, which is being funded by the Department for Education.

The deadline for school admissions is midnight on Monday.

Apply online at portsmouth.gov.uk/schooladmissions or call (023) 9268 8008 to request a form.

Portsmouth City Council says it is easy to do and you can log in and change it at any time before midnight on the closing date. An email notification of the outcome will be sent out on allocation day – March 1, 2017. Late applications will affect the chance of getting a place at the preferred school and the council is advising families to consider schools near them within their preferences.