CHILDREN in North Yorkshire have one of the best access to primary school places in England for the 2023-24 academic year, new research shows.

Ahead of the primary school application deadline on Sunday, January 15, new research from education software specialists The Access Group, revealed which areas in England have the highest and lowest volume of pupils entering Reception year per school.

The figures were calculated by taking the number of children due to attend primary school in 2023-24 from the new Census data, and comparing it to the number of primary schools per local authority, to established the number of potential pupils per school.

North Yorkshire was found to have the second best access to primary school places with 5,463 children entering the region's 384 schools next year.

This equates to roughly 14 pupils per school (14.2), behind Rutland (12.9) and just ahead of Cumbria (14.3), making up the best three locations.

For context, the average infant school class size in 2022 was 26.7, meaning intake would be between 53 and 54 pupils.

The North Yorkshire data was taken from Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby. 

Jane Gibson, the education product manager at The Access Group, said: "Admissions is a stressful time for parents as your child’s school can have a big impact on their future.

"If you fail to get into your first-choice school, there’s a risk of being separated from friends, or you might add on extra travel time to get your child to the school gates every morning.

"Schools also often ‘hold their breath’ at this time of year too. Pupil numbers can affect their funding, which in turn can lead to difficult decisions regarding staffing levels, budget allocation and more.

"With specialist education technology such as school finance payments software, it’s easier to cope with fluctuating numbers and ensure there’s adequate resources to provide a great education."

North Yorkshire was the only Yorkshire county listed in the top 10, with Hovingham primary school having no pupils on its roll since September 2022.

East Riding of Yorkshire was found to be the 18th best place with 20.2 children per school.

Towns and cities in Yorkshire, coastal areas, and the North Midlands were proven to be the least competitive for parents looking to secure admission at their first choice school, whereas the most-squeezed locations were mainly in the South.

At the other end of the spectrum, Slough was the most squeezed location (61.6) ahead of two London boroughs – Waltham Forest (59.6) and Barking and Dagenham (57.7).

Slough has a shortfall between eight and nine places, having just 38 schools with 2,340 children moving into Reception year.