Today, parents and guardians across Merton find out which primary school their child will be starting at in September. All children have received a place in one of our schools, and the vast majority have been placed in one of their parents’ or guardians’ preferred choices.

This year, 2,295 children from Merton applied for a primary school place. Of this number of admissions:

• 95% per cent of children due to start primary school in Merton this September were offered a place at one of their preferred schools.
• 82.5% of children in Merton were offered a place at their parent’s first choice of school, an increase from 80.5% last year
• 91.3% of children in Merton were allocated a place in one of their top three schools.

Merton Council’s Joint Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children and Education, Councillor Eleanor Stringer, said: “Starting in reception is such a big and exciting milestone for parents and children alike, and I’m delighted that for the seventh year in a row we’ve been able to grant a primary school place to every child who applied for one. With 93% of the borough’s primary schools rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, the parents who have received confirmation of a place today can feel confident that Merton is a fantastic place for the beginning of their child’s journey through school.”

ENDS

Notes to editor

• Parents who wish to appeal must do so within 28 days. More information on appeals can be found at merton.gov.uk/admissionsappeals
• This year, the total number of applications dropped from 2,524 to 2,295, a decrease of 9 percent. Across London, the total number of applications was 90,807, down 7 percent on 2020.