MORE Northumberland secondary school pupils have been offered a place at their secondary school of choice.

Figures from the Department of Education show that 97.9 per cent of pupils starting secondary school in Northumberland in September have been offered a place at their preferred school.

However, 38 children across the county have missed out on their top choice.

Numbers in Northumberland are much higher than the national average, with 81.1 per cent of children in England receiving an offer from their preferred school, down from 82.2 per cent last year.

The DfE figures also show that the number of applications to secondary schools in Northumberland has also increased by 3.8 per cent to 1,825.

Nick Gibb, School Standards Minister, said: “For the fourth consecutive year more than 90 per cent of children have been offered a place at one of their top three secondary school choices, which I know means a huge amount to families.

“Children and young people are now vastly more likely to be at a good or outstanding school than ten years ago, so parents across the country can be confident their child will get the high-quality education they deserve.”