SECONDARY school admissions figures show that 92 per cent of York children got place at their first choice of secondary school this year.

Today, secondary school admission figures are published for entry in September 2017, and City of York Council says 92.3 per cent of city children have got their first preference and that 97.5 per cent have got one of their first three preferences.

The percentage of children achieving their first preference has increased by 1.3 per cent between 2016 and 2017.

The number of online applications for secndart school places has continued to increase to 96.1 per cent. Parents who applied online will be notified of their child’s place by email at 10am today, letters are being sent today to parents and those with online accounts can log in to the council’s parent portal at www.york.gov.uk/parentportal

In 2017, 100 per cent of children within the local authority area have secured a secondary school place. While the majority have been allocated one of their first three preferences.

At the same time, both North Yorkshire and the East Riding have revealed their school place figures.

In the East Riding 96 per cent of children got places in their first choice secondary school; and 98 per cent got one of their top three choices.

Some 77 per cent of the area's 3,159 will be going to their catchment area school, and the council said that while secondary school numbers are falling at the moment they expect growth from 2018 as bigger year groups to move up from primary school.

Councillor Julie Abraham, East Riding's portfolio holder for education, said: “It is again pleasing to see such a high proportion of parents getting places for their children at the schools they really want. 

"The high proportion of children going to their local, catchment area schools shows how important schools' relationships with their local communities are."

In North Yorkshire 89 per cent of the 6,105 children heading to secondary school in September have got a place at their first choice of school, the highest percentage in recent years, and 95 per cent will go to one of their top three choices.

County Councillor Arthur Barker, North Yorkshire’s executive member for schools, said: “It is good news that once again so many of our families have gained the first preference from their choice of schools.

“As a local authority, we work with schools across the county to make sure all of them deliver the highest standards of education, so families who are not given first preferences will nevertheless be increasingly able to send their children to good schools.”