Harrogate primary school admissions are confirmed

North Yorkshire County Council confirmed places to parents and carers last week - and figures from the authority show more than 95 per cent of children got their first choice.

Many schools in the region have closed due to the pandemic, but a significant number remain open for children of key workers.

It still, however, remains unclear when they will all reopen, after Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said he can not give an exact date until certain coronavirus lockdown criteria are met.

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North Yorkshire County Council said its figures - which also show over 98 per cent of families secured one of their top three preferences - remains consistently high in comparison with other authorities.

Coun Patrick Mulligan, the council's Executive Member for Education and Skills, said: “We are pleased that so many families continue to gain the first preference from their choice of schools and that the percentage remains consistently high.

“However, as a local authority we work hard with all North Yorkshire schools to ensure they deliver high standards of education so that families who are not given first preferences can still send their children to good schools.

"We wish all children starting primary school in the next academic year all the best and that they really enjoy the top quality teaching and learning our schools provide.”

A spokesman for the council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it does not have a further breakdown of figures for schools in the Harrogate district.

Decision on primary school plan at 'new village' in Knaresborough delayed

Meanwhile, the government has confirmed students will receive their GCSE and A-level grades in August after exams were cancelled due to the pandemic.

The Department of Education says A-level pupils will get their results on the 13th - and GCSE students will be given their grades on the 20th.

This comes after exams regulator Ofqual said the results would be released no later than originally planned.

By Jacob Webster, Local Democracy Reporter

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