97.8% of pupils receive a place at one of their preferred Secondary Schools on National Offer Day

This year parents and carers of 97.8% of children were offered a place on National Offer Day at one of their three preferred schools and 92.9% were offered a place at their first preference school.
Published: 02 Mar 2026

Suffolk County Council received 7,742 applications from parents and carers indicating which secondary school they would prefer their child to transfer to in September 2026.

Families who applied online can log in to the online service from today to see the school their child has been offered. They will also receive an email to confirm this offer unless they have indicated that they do not wish to. Letters will be sent to parents who made a paper application by second class post today (2 March 2026).

Councillor Andrew Reid, Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and SEND said: “It is great to see that once again the majority of families have been offered a place at one of their preferred secondary schools.”

“We do understand that not all families will have received a place at their preferred school. If a parent or carer’s preference for a Suffolk school has been refused, their child’s name will automatically be added to the waiting list for that school. Parents and carers will also be advised how to lodge an appeal should they wish to do so.”

Published criteria were used to decide which children had priority for school places to ensure that the process was fair and clear.

Once school places have been confirmed, parents and carers need to consider how their child will get to and from school. If their child is eligible for Suffolk County Council funded school travel, they will receive an email by Thursday 2 April 2026 with details of how to opt-in and when.

Further information on secondary school admissions can be found at www.suffolk.gov.uk/admissions.