The wait will soon be over for parents to find out whether their children have a place at their first-choice school.

With most children currently learning at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic, families across Suffolk are looking forward to finding out where they will be attending class this autumn.

In 2020, 91.4% of children in Suffolk received offers from their top choice of secondary school, an increase from 90% in 2019. A total of 97% were allocated a space at one of their top three options.

For primary schools, 93.6% of parents in Suffolk were offered a place for their child at their first preference primary school.

Schools are currently open only for children of key workers and vulnerable children, but it is hoped they may start to reopen from March 8.

When are the National Offer Days?

National Offer Day for secondary schools will be on Monday, March 1 this year, and families across the area will learn which schools their 10 and 11-year-olds have a place for in September.

The primary school National Offer Day is a few weeks later, on Friday, April 16.

Applications for both primary and secondary schools for this autumn have now closed. If you need to make changes or a late application, this will only be considered after the applications which were received on time.

How will I find out about my child's place if I applied online?

If you applied online, you will be able to view the outcome of their application by logging on to the school admissions portal on Suffolk County Council’s website.

The council will also send out emails to parents who applied online on the National Offer Day, with details of the offers.

How will I find out if I applied by post?

However if you applied using a paper form, then you will be sent a letter by second class post which will arrive after March 1 for secondary schools or April 16 for primary schools

For secondary schools, you will receive a letter as long as you applied by October 31, 2020, or your form and evidence were received by January 4, 2021 and the council agreed there were exceptional reasons for your application being late.

For primary school pupils, the letter will arrive provided you applied by January 15, 2021, or your form and evidence were received by February 5, 2021, and the council agreed there were exceptional reasons for applying late.

What can I do after receiving the offer?

If you are happy with your offer, Suffolk County Council will assume you have accepted the place if you haven't contacted them by March 15 for secondary school places or April 29 for primary school places.

Accepting the offered place will not affect your chance of receiving a place at a higher preference school either from a waiting list or through an appeal.

If your child has been offered a school in another county, you may need to accept the place formally, so you will need to check by contacting the school directly.

If your child has not been offered a place at any of your preferred schools, they will automatically be added to the waiting list for that school.

How can I appeal?

It is possible to appeal if your child has not been offered a place at a preferred school.

The council is asking people to appeal by email if possible, because access to its offices are currently limited due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

For secondary schools, if you applied on time, the deadline for submitting an appeal form is April 13.

For primary schools, the appeal deadline will be May 17, again assuming you applied on time.

For full information on school applications in Suffolk, including appeals, visit the county council website.