Parents in Cornwall find out today (Wednesday, April 16) which primary school their child has been allocated, with more than 95% offered their first preference.
Cornwall Council received 4,864 applications for reception places for September 2025, of which 4,658 have been offered a place at their first preference school.
This equates to 95.76%, which is slightly lower than last year’s figure of 97.62% and above last year’s national average of 93.2%. (The national figure for 2025 is not yet available.)
Almost every child (99.28%) in Cornwall received a place at their first, second or third preference school this year, compared to 99.83% last year.
Eveleen Riordan, Service Director for Education and Children’s Community Health at Cornwall Council, said:
“It’s brilliant that so many children and families have been offered their first preference primary school for this September.
“We have consistently offered a higher-than-average number of children their first preference school and this is all down to the hard work of our teams who work closely with schools across Cornwall. I would like to thank everyone who played a part this year.
"We do recognise that some families may be disappointed by the allocation for their child and there is an independent appeals process that can be followed. More information on this can be found on the school appeals page on the council’s website.”
Press release issued on April 16, 2025.