Parents and carers of children in Bath & North East Somerset who are currently in Year 6 are being reminded the deadline for applications for a secondary school place in September 2021 is fast approaching.

All applications must be received before midnight on Saturday 31 October. Late applications for places will not be considered until the second round of allocations next May.

All applicants are strongly recommended to use all five preferences when applying for a place to ensure their child has the best chance of attending a school reasonably local to where they live.

Councillor Kevin Guy, cabinet member for Children's Services, said: "Choosing the right school for your child is an important decision and demand for places is high. It's therefore crucial parents and carers use all the preferences available as this will help to avoid a child being offered a place at a school some distance away from home.

"Our admissions team works hard try to ensure everyone is offered a place at a school of their choice. This year, nine out of ten families in Bath and North East Somerset were offered a place at their first choice of secondary school, with 98% offered one of their first five preferences."

Applications must be made to the local authority in which you live even if you wish to be considered for a place at a school situated within a different local authority area.

Each preference is considered equally against the school's admissions criteria regardless of whether it is listed as the first, second, third, fourth or fifth preference. Pupils will be offered the highest preference available.

Offers of places will be made on 1 March 2021.

Applications can be made via the Admissions Online link on the council's website click HERE: the B&NES site