Across England, 8% of primary school applicants and 17% of secondary school applicants did not get a place at their first choice school, affecting nearly 150,000 children in total.
In the South East, 8.8% of applicants did not get into their first choice primary school and 16.7% did not secure a place at their preferred secondary school. This meant 8,312 primary and 16,978 secondary aged children did not get a place at their first choice school.
Inner London was found to have the hardest schools to get into in the country. One in every eight children (13%) did not get into their first choice primary school. This rose to one in three (33%) for secondary school places.
How competitive is it to get into your local primary school? Here we reveal which primary schools in the Chichester, Bognor Regis, Midhurst and Petworth areas are the hardest to get into.
Inner London was found to have the hardest schools to get into in the country. One in every eight children (13%) did not get into their first choice primary school. This rose to one in three (33%) for secondary school places.
![Rumboldswhyke CofE Primary School had 12 applicants put the school as a first preference but only 11 of these were offered places. This means 1 or 8.3% did not get a place.](https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjY3MGU2MWY3LTVhYTgtNDExMS05NGUzLWY3YTFhNDdjZGMzNzoyNDA2MThmMy05NjdiLTRhNjEtODI2Zi02YzlkYzM5ZWEwNTc=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=640)
17. Rumboldswhyke CofE Primary School, Chichester
Rumboldswhyke CofE Primary School had 12 applicants put the school as a first preference but only 11 of these were offered places. This means 1 or 8.3% did not get a place. Photo: Kate Shemilt
![Portfield Primary Academy had 42 applicants put the school as a first preference but only 39 of these were offered places. This means 3 or 7.1% did not get a place.](https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOmIwNDFjZTI5LTZmOGItNGRkZC05OWJiLTNkMDVhYWRjYzBlZjpmOTJmMDY5Yy01OTgxLTQ3NmYtYTA3Ny1kODE4OTE3ZmQ4MjQ=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=640)
18. Portfield Primary Academy, Chichester
Portfield Primary Academy had 42 applicants put the school as a first preference but only 39 of these were offered places. This means 3 or 7.1% did not get a place. Photo: Kate Shemilt
![Southbourne Infant School had 58 applicants put the school as a first preference but only 57 of these were offered places. This means 1 or 1.7% did not get a place.](https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjlhNDk4ODkzLTgzMWQtNDFmNS05M2RmLWEwNGEzZDgxMWJjODpjMTFlNmI1OC1iMDQzLTRkNjgtYThmNS1mZWQ3OTRjOWNlODU=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=640)
19. Southbourne Infant School, Southbourne
Southbourne Infant School had 58 applicants put the school as a first preference but only 57 of these were offered places. This means 1 or 1.7% did not get a place. Photo: Google