North Yorkshire provides ‘excellent’ primary school access

The report, published by The Access Group, says that children in North Yorkshire have some of the best access to primary schools for the next academic year.

The ‘school squeeze’ campaign reveals which areas in the UK have the highest and lowest volume of pupils entering primary school year per school in the area – and where parents have the best access to their first-choice school.

The figure was calculated by taking the number of children set to attend primary school in the 2023/24 academic year, and comparing it to the number of primary schools per local authority.

North Yorkshire offers the second best access to primary school places, with 5,463 children entering each of the region’s 384 schools next year.

This equates to 14 pupils per school.

Jane Gibson, Product Manager (Education) at The Access Group, explained what this means for parents in the area: “Admissions is a stressful time for parents as your child’s school can have a big impact on their future.

“Even on a smaller scale, 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 - but with specialist education technology such as school finance software and school payments software, it’s easier to cope with fluctuating numbers and ensure there’s adequate resources to provide a great education.”

The district council’s that made up the data for North Yorkshire included Scarborough, Ryedale, Harrogate, Craven, Hambleton, Richmondshire, and Selby.

For Scarborough and Ryedale Council’s, there are 72 primary schools across Scarborough, Whitby, and Ryedale. For Harrogate Council, there are 23 primary schools.

Applications for primary school admission for the 2023/24 school year close on Sunday January 15.