Parents in Suffolk can now apply to secure a place for their children at schools for September 2020.

The important applications will be open for secondary schools, including high and upper schools and primary schools including infant, junior and middle schools.

Applications for secondary schools in the county will be accepted until Thursday 31 October 2019 and for a primary schools until Wednesday 15 January 2020.

Last year, Suffolk County Council received nearly 16,000 applications from parents and carers indicating which school they would prefer their child to be educated at from September 2019.

According to the council, 92% of applicants received offers for their first preference school and nearly 98% of applicants received an offer for one of their top three preferred schools.

Councillor Gordon Jones, Suffolk County Council's Cabinet Member for Children's Services, Education and Skills, said: "Making the right school choice is one of the most important decisions a parent makes on behalf of their child.

"I would urge all parents and carers to complete and submit their application by the closing date of 31 October 2019 for a secondary school place and 15 January 2020 for a primary school place to give their child the best chance of getting in to one of their preferred schools.

"We will process all of the applications received by these dates at the same time using schools' oversubscription criteria to prioritise applications when necessary.

"Parents and carers can list up to three schools on their application form and we recommend applying for more than one school."

The council wants to advise parents and carers that some schools have their own admissions policy which sets out how places will be prioritised.

Therefore, it is important to check each school's admissions policy before applying.

As well as applying for their preferred school, parents and carers also need to consider how they will get their child to and from school.

An application needs to be submitted for each child wanting a place starting school in September 2020.

Parents can apply for school places HERE.