PARENTS and carers in Craven are being urged to apply for school places online.

Applications are now open and parents of any child transferring from primary school to secondary school next year must apply for a place by Thursday, October 31.

In North Yorkshire, parents can list up to five schools in order of preference on their common application form. They are advised to include their child’s catchment school as one of those five to maximise the chances of obtaining a place. Those applying will be offered a place on March 3, 2025.

Last year’s school admission figures revealed a total of 90.11 per cent secured their first preference, with 95.82 per cent of all families in the county who requested a school place receiving an offer from the authority for one of their top three preferences of secondary school.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for education, learning and skills, Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, said: “There is always a high demand for school places and we do our utmost to ensure that children are offered a place at their preferred primary or secondary school.

“If parents apply online it will help with the efficiency of the process, and if they can include their child’s catchment school in their application we are more likely to be able to meet their wishes.”

Parents are being reminded that this year there have been some changes in eligibility to home to school travel. If this is an important factor when choosing a school, more information is available at www.northyorks.gov.uk/education-and-learning/school-admissions/finding-school on the council’s website. Parents can then use the online tool to find the nearest school to their home address.

Parents can find out more about school admissions and how to apply by logging onto https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/education-and-learning/school-admissions/starting-secondary-school