How likely Sussex pupils are to get their first-choice secondary school revealed
The chances of pupils securing their first-choice secondary school vary across Sussex, with new analysis showing differences between West Sussex, East Sussex and Brighton and Hove.
In West Sussex, 87.52 per cent of applicants received an offer from their first-choice secondary school, meaning 12.48 per cent did not receive their preferred school.
The county was ranked 95th out of 152 local authorities in England in an analysis by education experts at Chapel & Tuck.
East Sussex – 86th in the rankings – had a first-choice offer rate of 86.33 per cent, with 13.67 per cent of applicants not receiving their first choice.
Brighton and Hove had a lower first-choice offer rate, with 82.92 per cent receiving their preferred school and 17.08 per cent missing out. It was ranked 70th nationally.
The figures come from an analysis of first-preference secondary school offer rates across 152 local authorities in England by Chapel & Tuck.
The education experts said: "Parents in some parts of England are far less likely to secure their first-choice secondary school than those elsewhere."
The analysis found London dominated the areas where competition for first-choice places was toughest.
Greenwich had the lowest first-choice offer rate in England, with 60.18 per cent of applicants receiving their first-choice school.
Wandsworth followed with 60.44%, while Lambeth had an offer rate of 61.42 per cent.
In fact, the first 14 places in the national ranking were occupied by London boroughs.
Liverpool was the highest-ranked authority outside London, with 68.12 per centof applicants receiving their first-choice school.
A spokesperson for Chapel & Tuck said: "The results reveal a striking divide, with London overwhelmingly dominating the areas where competition for first-choice places is toughest."
The study ranked the 152 local authorities from the lowest to highest percentage of applicants receiving their first-choice school.
The percentage who did not receive their first choice was calculated by subtracting each authority's first-preference offer rate from 100 per cent.
The analysis therefore places West Sussex ahead of East Sussex and Brighton and Hove when it comes to the proportion of applicants receiving an offer from their first-choice secondary school.