Primary School Places 2025: did you get yours?

Today is the anxious moment that parents and guardians find out if their children received their preferred choice of primary school place, for the term starting this September.

97.9% of children due to start primary school in London this September have been offered a place at one of their preferred schools, data published on National Primary Offer Day 2025 by the Pan-London Admissions Board reveals.

87.9% of children applying to London schools got into their first preference school, a slight decrease of 1.2 percentage points from last year. 96.6% of London pupils – 80,706 children – were offered a place at one of their top three preferences of primary school.

The total number of applications made for primary school places in London this year was 83,581, a decrease of 2.1% compared to last year. However, some boroughs saw a slight increase in applications.

Application numbers are affected by several factors, including London’s falling birth rate and the severe shortage of affordable housing prompting families to leave the capital. Analysis by London Councils forecasts a decrease of 3.6% in reception pupil numbers in London over the next four years. This translates to 3,195 places – roughly equivalent to a drop of 117 reception classes.

Councillor Ian Edwards, London Councils’ Executive Member for Children and Young People, said:

“Boroughs know that primary offer day brings very important news to young Londoners and their families. It is great to see the vast majority of children in the capital receive offers from one of their preferred primary schools.

“Overall decreases in pupil numbers can pose a challenge to schools’ resources. However, boroughs will continue working closely with schools to meet local needs and help families make the most of the high-quality educational opportunities available in the capital.”  

Jon Abbey, Chair of the Pan-London Admissions Board, said: 

“The Pan-London Admissions Scheme means school places in the capital are distributed in an open and fair way, taking into account the number of places available and eligibility criteria at each school. Where parents and pupils have not been offered their first preference it is because, in some schools, demand outstrips supply.

“Overall, analysis suggests that falling birth rates and family migration from London have led to a continued decrease in demand for school places and resulted in a reduction in total applications this year.

“We advise parents to read the details of their child’s offer carefully and consider their options fully before making a decision. Please be aware that each London borough has an admissions team and staff who are very happy to assist if parents have any queries.”

How to appeal your child’s primary school offer

Unfortunately, it is possible that your child won’t get their first choice for primary school.

If this does happen, firstly, you must not reject your first school offer. You cannot reject the first offer until you have secured another offer.

Your next steps, should you be unhappy, include:

Join a waiting list – you can check if your child can be added to a waiting list for the school, or another school nearby. This can be done using the ‘waiting lists’ page on your local council’s website.

Apply for a different school – you can contact your local School Admissions team if you want to apply for a school you didn’t apply for originally. You can do this to also be added to a waiting list for a school you named as a lower preference.

Appeal – you have the right to appeal to an independent panel for a place at any of your preferred schools that haven’t offered you a place.

But even if you are appealing a decision, you are advised to accept the offer your child received so that they have a school place in case the appeal is unsuccessful.

Did your child get their preferred choice of primary school?  Let us know in the comments, below.