Ahead of the primary school application deadline on Sunday January 15, new research has revealed that Somerset is providing some of the best access to primary school places in England in 2023/24.

The data, from education software specialist The Access Group, compared new Census demographic data and local authority school listings to establish the number of potential pupils per school for all locations in England.

With roughly 18 children per primary school, pupils in Somerset (17.7) had the ninth best access to primary schools in England. Rutland (12.9), North Yorkshire (14.2) and Cumbria (14.3) made up the top three.

At the other end of the spectrum, Slough (61.6) was the most squeezed location ahead of two London boroughs; Waltham Forest (59.6) and Barking and Dagenham (57.7).

For Somerset, this data was based on combining the datasets for the following district councils: Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West and Taunton, and South Somerset.