These were the hardest schools in Sheffield to get your children into for 2022

Parents are preparing to send their kids off to school again on September 1 for the new academic year.

Now, new data shows how out of Sheffield’s 121 schools, only 18 are not oversubscribed or have a waiting list of children trying to get in.

In fact, some schools are in the position where they are turning away more children than they have accepted.

Oversubscribed schools happen when there are more parents applying for places than are available, leading to a waiting list in case those places fall through.

Because parents get to apply for three preferences when trying to get an education for their little ones, it can lead to cases like Loxley Primary School, which only had 30 places to give out but had 143 children vying for them.

Seven schools in the city are oversubscribed by 200 per cent, meaning for every seat in the classroom, at least three children are trying to get it.

Sheffield City Council says 95 per cent of students this academic year received a place at one of their three preferred schools.

The only four secondary schools that still have places for their Y7 starters are Stocksbridge, Birley, Ecclesfield and Bradfield.

Below is a list of Sheffield’s most oversubscribed schools according to a Freedom of Information request by The Star, ranked from those with severe waiting lists relative to how many places they have to give out.