Secondary school applications fall in London but more pupils fail to secure first-choice place

The number of children failing to get a place at their first-choice London secondary school has increased to more than 25,000 – despite an overall drop in applications.

A total of 70.5 per cent of primary school pupils will enrol at their preferred secondary in September, down from 71.6 per cent last year, according to data published on National Secondary Offer Day on Monday.

But the success rate varied across the capital’s 33 boroughs, with 83.1 per cent of first choices being accepted in Barking and Dagenham but only 60.2 per cent in Greenwich and 60.4 per cent in Wandsworth.

Other boroughs where the more than a third of children missed out on their first choice include Lambeth, Richmond, Hammersmith and Fulham and the City of London.

In contrast, almost 80 per cent of first choices were granted in Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest, though, as with all boroughs, the results for each school will have been different.

Parents of Year 6 pupils should receive an email by Monday evening with the name of their child’s new school.

Overall, 60,672 pupils were awarded a place at their first-choice school while 25,386 had to settle for an alternative – up 551 on last year.

But 89.6 per cent of children were offered one of their top three choices, according to the Pan-London Admissions Board.

Cllr Ian Edwards, London Councils’ executive member for children, said: “We are delighted that the overwhelming majority of London’s children have been offered a place at one of their preferred schools.

“Whilst pupil numbers are continuing to fall, boroughs have worked in close partnership with their local schools to make sure sufficient places are available to meet demand.

“London continues to be the highest-performing region at GCSE, with 96 per cent of schools rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted. Families can feel assured that their child will benefit from a high-quality education in the capital.”

Application numbers are affected by several factors, including the falling birth rate across London.

This year, 4,862 children did not receive an offer for one of their preferred schools.

Of these, 4,759 children will be offered an alternative school on Monday.

The remaining 105 applicants will be advised of places in alternative schools that will become available in the coming days, as some pupils decline offers – for example, because they are moving into private education or leaving their home borough.

If children are offered a place at a school which is not their first preference, they will automatically go onto the waiting list for the schools which were a higher preference.

It said this could result in a £45m drop in Government funding for schools in the capital over the next four years – and force headteachers to narrow the curriculum and axe classes.

Jon Abbey, chair of the Pan-London Admissions Board, said: “The Pan-London Admissions Scheme ensures that secondary school places across the capital are allocated in a transparent and equitable way, reflecting both the number of places available and each school’s published eligibility criteria. Where families have not secured their first preference, this is due to demand exceeding the number of places available at some schools.

“We can reassure parents that there are enough secondary school places in London to meet overall demand. The scheme is designed to ensure that every child receives an offer at the highest preference school on their list for which they qualify under the admissions arrangements.

“We encourage parents to read their child’s offer carefully and take time to consider the options available to them before reaching a decision. Each London borough has a dedicated admissions team, and staff are always willing to support families with any questions they may have.

“Allocating places is a complex process, requiring careful consideration of both the places available at each school and the relevant admissions criteria. I would like to thank the admissions teams for their continued hard work in ensuring that the allocation of secondary school places for London’s children runs smoothly.”