Call to fix ‘creaky’ admissions system as pupils receive secondary school places

More than 10,000 children were allocated a place at their first choice school in Hertfordshire. “Councils will do everything they can to rise to the challenge of ensuring no child goes without a place, but all schools must play their part too”.

With approximately 100,000 year six students in Britain set to miss out on the secondary school of their choice, it has been claimed that 98% of pupils in Cornwall will be going to their preferred destination.

“The Government is investing billions of pounds creating new schools and new school places and through our free schools programme we want to open 500 more new schools during the five years of this parliament”.

In contrast Sutton has 3084 places for 2240 children and Wandsworth has 2177 but received only 2058 on time applications.

“Local authorities have worked hard to put in place plans to meet this increased demand so that more pupils are offered a school place of their choice in London”.

The LGA has called for the government to reverse its policy of taking power over schools away from local authorities, and to give them more power to compel the increasingly popular academy schools to offer more places and to open new maintained schools in areas of need.

“Despite rising pupil numbers the vast majority of parents are able to do so”, said schools minister Nick Gibb.

Finding suitable sponsors with the capacity to take on the running of a successful new school is also proving a challenge. “As a local authority we work with schools across the county to make sure all of them deliver the highest standards of education so that families who are not given first preferences will nevertheless be able to send their children to good schools”.

For admissions into schools in September 2015 there are 53 secondary schools in Lincolnshire, including 51 which are their own admissions authority and determine their own admissions policy.

London pupils are expected to be the least likely in the country to get their preferred place at secondary school.

Hertfordshire County Council figures released today show 95 per cent of children in the county were allocated a place at a secondary school.

In Kent, despite growing demand, nearly 400 more children got their first preference than did a year ago, and more than 97% will receive an offer from one of their top four.

At the other end of the spectrum, in East Riding 96.4% of children got their first choice, with just 0.8% failing to get one of their top three schools.

The 1.53 per cent who didn’t get any of their preferences have been allocated the next nearest school and any late applications or changes to original preferences will be considered at a second allocation on March 31.

“The government has really let down children by not planning properly and is failing in its fundamental duty to provide a school place for every child”, she said.

A statement on Telford & Wrekin Council’s website said: “We operate a parental preference scheme and, wherever possible, will offer your child a place at your preferred school – as indicated on your application form”.