Lady Margaret School, Parsons Green
1 March 2018 was National Offer Day - the day families were notified about the outcome of their state secondary school allocations. One in three families in London will not be able to send their children to their preferred secondary school next year, as rising numbers of school-age pupils put pressure on places across London.
Just 66% of pupils in
the greater London region received an offer from their first preference school, compared with 68% last year, as the effects of the early-2000s baby boom fed into secondary school applications.
“The number of pupils starting secondary school in London is growing, and with 94% of the capital’s schools rated good or outstanding by Ofsted it is no surprise that parents are keen to send their children to school in London,” said Peter John, the London Councils executive member responsible for education.
John said London had a 4% increase in applications compared to last year – a rise of 3,900 – and boroughs were offering 93% of children a place at one of their preferred schools.
But figures released by the pan-London admissions authority (a consortium of 32 local authorities) showed that 6,400 children in London, or 6% of the total, were allocated a school that their family had not listed as a preference.
Hardest hit were families in Hammersmith and Fulham, where just 51% received their first preference, while 53% of those in the City of London and 54% in Kensington and Chelsea received their first choice.
At the other end of the scale, Waltham Forest was the only local authority in London where more than 80% of families were offered their first preference.
But there will be waiting list movement over the coming weeks and months, especially in London, where the population is mobile and parents are potentially choosing between a state school and an independent school offer. The catchment area can often double in the coming months.
What do do if you have not been allocated your preferred place?
It is essential that you accept the place you have been offered. Your child will remain on the waiting list for schools that were ranked as higher preferences.