When do parents find out which primary school children will go to?

According to The Good Schools Guide, parents in the south east region are most likely to be disappointed on Monday, when they will find out which school their child is going to.

Last year, London and the south east were the only English regions where there was a below 90 per cent average for applicants receiving a place at their first choice school.s

In 2016, in Portsmouth 85 per cent of applications did receive the first choice, and 95 per cent one of the schools in their top three; meanwhile in Hampshire, there was a 97.3 per cent success rate for children getting into one of their three preferred schools, and almost 90 per cent getting into their first-choice school.

Last year, 77 school place appeals were lodged in Portsmouth after 3,909 total applications – with 437 appeals across the whole of Hampshire – according to the Department of Education.

Elizabeth Coatman, a state education consultant at The Good Schools Guide, said: ‘The population bulge is still working its way through primary and secondary schools, but the intake last year was down and we expect there to be a further reduction this year.

‘Does this mean that everyone will get their first choice school? Of course not.

‘Children are still being offered places which their parents consider to be inappropriate.

‘Appealing is an option, but with huge regional disparities in the success rates, you shouldn’t count on it going your way.

‘However unfair it may feel, the length of your school run, having siblings at other schools, super-sized classes and poor OFSTED reports are unlikely to be successful grounds for appeal.’

Ms Coatman has recommended that parents accept the offer they are given to begin with, before applying for the waiting list at a more preferred school.