One in six families misses top secondary school choice

About one in six children did not get their first choice of secondary school, according to official admissions figures for England's schools.

But these figures were similar to last year - with 84.1% getting their top choice, compared with 84.2% last year.A higher proportion of parents got their first pick of primary schools, at 88.4%, up from 87.8% last year.A Department for Education spokeswoman said the admissions figures show that the "system continues to work".The figures show state secondary schools had to accommodate a rising number of pupils, increasing by 2.8% to 548,006 applicants, the highest since 2008.It reflects a population bulge, which has seen increasing pressure on primary schools, and which is now moving through secondary school age groups.                                                                                                                                                 The figures showed Gateshead had the biggest fall in parents getting their first choice of secondary school, down from 91.5% in 2015 to 82.8%.But a spokesman for the council said the DfE had not included children who had gone to Emmanuel College, which is partly funded by business donors, and which would have meant 90.5% got their first choice.