One in four pupils due to start primary in Hammersmith and Fulham in September were not offered a place at their preferred school – the worst ratio of any London borough.
The West London locality, in which all schools are rated either good or outstanding by Ofsted, was closely followed by neighbouring Kensington and Chelsea, where 74.8 per cent of pupils got an offer from their first-choice destination.
Across the capital 97.9 per cent of pupils due to start primary school have been offered a place through the Pan-London Admissions Scheme.
Of those, 87.9 per cent of pupils got their first-choice, a slight decrease of 1.2 per cent on last year.
The overall number of applications, 83,581, is also down 2.1 per cent, though some boroughs did see increases.
According to London Councils, application figures are affected by factors including a falling birth rate and the ‘severe’ shortage of affordable housing.
The umbrella group is forecasting a decrease of 3.6 per cent in Reception pupil numbers in the capital over the next four years, equal to 3,195 places.
In London, Barking and Dagenham recorded the highest proportion of pupils getting their first-choice school, at 96.3 per cent, followed by Enfield with 94.9 per cent.
In Hammersmith and Fulham 73.6 per cent of children were offered their first preference, though the percentage getting their second or third were among the highest in the capital.
A Hammersmith and Fulham Council spokesman said: “Hammersmith and Fulham is one of the best places to live in the country for top performing schools. All of our schools in H&F are currently rated as good or outstanding by Ofsted. The popularity of our schools is reflected in these figures.
“More than 88 per cent of young people in H&F were offered a place at one of their top primary school choices this year. We will continue to work with our schools and parents to help our young people reach their potential.”
The council’s 88 per cent figure relates to how the total number of young people offered one of their top three preferences in the borough was 88.82 per cent.
Cllr Ian Edwards, London Councils’ executive member for children and young people, said: “Overall decreases in pupil numbers can pose a challenge to schools’ resources. However, boroughs will continue working closely with schools to meet local needs and help families make the most of the high-quality educational opportunities available.”
Jon Abbey, chair of the Pan-London Admissions Board, said: “Overall, analysis suggests that falling birth rates and family migration from London have led to a continued decrease in demand for school places and resulted in a reduction in total applications this year.”
Picture: Pixabay/Thomas G
