Home-schooling might be the order of the day right now, but parents of youngsters across the city who are due to start school for the first time this September are being reminded not to forget to formally accept their offer of a school place.
All parents and carers who applied for a place on time will have found out last week which school their child has been offered a place at. It's vital however that parents respond to the offer made and either formally accept it, or let us know their circumstances have changed and that they no longer require a place.
This year saw an increase in the number of pupils allocated a place at one of their preferred schools with 92.14% securing a place at their first preference school, and the vast majority of pupils (97.85%) allocated a place at one of their top three preferred schools. Overall, more than 98% of pupils in the city were offered a place at one of their preferred schools.
Councillor Garry Bridges, Executive Member for Children and Schools, Manchester City Council, said: "As we come to the end of week five of home-schooling during the current national lockdown, parents could be forgiven for forgetting that at some point normal life will once again be resumed and that schools will re-open.
"It's vital however that parents of children due to start school for the first time this September don't forget to formally respond to the offer of a school place made to them last week. We need their response so that we can continue to offer vacant school places to late applicants or new arrivals in the city.
"Thanks to careful planning over the last few years and making more places available across the city, we've been able to offer more pupils places at one of their preferred schools this year. All of our primary schools however are brilliant places to be, and I'm sure they can't wait to welcome back their pupils again when this enforced period of home-schooling finally comes to an end."
Although the overwhelming majority of parents secured a place for their child at one of their preferred schools, the advice for any parent who decides to appeal their school place remains the same as in other years - they should accept the place offered whilst going through the formal independent appeal process. Arrangements are currently being put in place to ensure the appeal process can continue, and parents should lodge an appeal in the usual way.