Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support parents in Coventry whose children have not been granted a place in any of their preferred schools.

Delivering good quality school places is a top priority for this Government. The system continues to work well and is rising to the challenge of delivering new places.

The Department published its statistical first release on school applications and offers on 14 June. The number of applicants in Coventry receiving a preferred school place at primary school in 2018 is 98.9%. Those receiving a preferred secondary school place is at 91.3%.

Local authorities are under a statutory duty to ensure that there are sufficient school places available for all children in their areas. We have provided Coventry with £44.6 million to provide new school places from 2011-2018, and a further £16.1 million has been allocated from 2018-2021.