Updated March 2019 

You will find an initial article on 2019 allocations here, an article on 2019 oversubscription data for grammar schools here, and for non-selective schools here. For Grammar School Preferences, only grammar qualified are counted. The PAN is the Published Admission Number and refers to the number of places available in the year group for each school. If additional places were offered, I have recorded this under PAN.  

A Report on 2019 Appeals Outcomes here. For Attainment 8 and Progress 8 and further information on the performance of all Kent schools with 2019 GCSE scores go to here for explanation. 2019 GCSE performance data is currently provisional before final data is published in January. 

Walmer Science College NOW CLOSED The school has now amalgamated with Castle Community College, which was effective closure of Walmer Science College, brought about by poor leadership. Further information and comment here. There were no further intakes from September 2014 onwards. Now part of Goodwin Academy

Weald of Kent Grammar School Tonbridge. Academy. Last full Inspection was in 2007, when the school was found Outstanding, followed by a brief Inspection that confirmed this in 2011.  After considerable controversy, an annexe set in Sevenoaks to increase provision of girls' grammar school places in West Kent opened in 2017, most recent comment here .  For details of how places are allocated to each site, consult the school website, Admission Rules, final section on document, where parents will be able to make a site preference.  There is no right to choose a site. 

For 2016 entry, the school expanded again in preparation for the Annexe opening in 2017, to 230 places.For 2017, with the grammar school annexe open, the Planned Admission Number rose to 265 (90 on the Sevenoaks site). Numbers of applications appear to increase inexorably. 

 The 16 successful appellants in 2018 were all placed at the Sevenoaks site, which may have influenced decisions. Others found of grammar school ability by the Panel were placed on the waiting list. 

 The school features in my article on GCSE performance 2018 with top Progress 8 performance in the county. 

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Westlands School Sittingbourne. Lead school for the extensive Swale Academies Trust. OFSTED  2012 - Outstanding. The Trust is aggressively expansive. There is massive pressure for places at the Sittingbourne non-selective schools with residents of the Isle of Sheppey seeking places on the mainland, but historically no appeals as applications are massaged away, some encouraged to Swale Community Academy, also part of the Swale Academies Trust . This changed in 2017. The considerable movement in Sittingbourne after Year 11 allocation has been exacerbated by a high proportion of children going off to grammar school on appeal, although this may fall for 2018 entrance. Controversial issue on leaders' remuneration in 2017.  

The final column here identifies the large number of unsuccessful applicants who vanish without going to appeal, notably 2016!

 The school has a way of massaging away those on its waiting list, that according to regular Freedom of Information Requests does not involve hearing appeals. For 2016, 17 appeals are recorded as being filed. Of these 6 were offered a place, 11 withdrawn. None were heard. For 2018, 24 requests for appeal filed. All were offered places in advance.

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2014 - 2017 - no appeals for school admission

Wilmington Academy. Became an Academy September 2010, converting from the failed Wilmington Enterprise College which was placed in Special Measures in 2009. Federated with the highly successful Leigh Academy (above). OFSTED May 2017- Good again. For 2015 admission, this was the fifth most oversubscribed non-selective school in Kent on allocation in March, turning away 94 disappointed first choices, not only because of its own success, but the failure of nearby Oasis Hextable Academy, now closed. My memory goes back a few years to when I supported families in appeals to Hextable as they attempted to flee Wilmington. How times change! Very difficult to win an appeal, so numbers have fallen. 

Popularity still strong but below the heady days of 2015. 

Furthest Distance offered on allocation in miles                                        

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Wilmington Grammar School for Boys. Part of the Endeavour Academy Trust with Wilmington Grammar Girls (see below) Heavily oversubscribed because of large number of applications from across the county boundary,but in 2015 changed oversubscription criteria to favour local boys along with 10% high scorers, and siblings include those of Wilmington Girls which has also changed its character to match, although still large number of ooc boys, mainly siblings, and parts of Bexley regarded as local. . OFSTED Nov 2017: Good again. Sharp increase in grammar qualified applicants again in 2019.

 2018 allocation data shows its increasing popularity, with many children previously placing it second choice to one of the Dartford Grammars. The high number of  first choices rejected will be mainly London children, although for 2018, Kent children living outside the defined priority area also lost out. More popular again for 2019.

Furthest Distance offered on allocation in miles                                        

 The school sticks rigidly to its five form entry so appeal success is very difficult. It appears as if after appeals, school replaces spaces arising only back to original PAN.

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Wilmington Grammar School for Girls. Academy part of Endeavour Trust with Wilmington Grammar School for Boys (above). Heavily oversubscribed because of large number of applications from across the county boundary,but in 2015 changed oversubscription criteria to favour local girls along with 10% high scorers, and siblings include those of Wilmington Boys which is changing its character, although still large number of ooc girls, mainly siblings, and parts of Bexley regarded as local. OFSTED Nov 2015: Outstanding, up from Good.  For 2018 entry, the distance for inners was just 3.3 miles. 

 Like Wilmington Boys, it looks as if it only replacing spaces arising after appeals back to PAN

Furthest Distance offered on allocation in miles                                        

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Wrotham School. popular rural school always oversubscribed. OFSTED May, 2015 - GOOD. Taking over nearby failing Aylesford School.  

Loses children after allocation because of large number of successful appeals in Maidstone grammar schools.

 Surge in applications for 2019 reflects problems at nearby Holmesdale School. 

 Large number of successful appeals at Maidstone grammars, create spaces, hence limited need for appeals. 

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Wye School, Ashford. This new Free School for an intake of just 90 children opened in September 2013, and rapidly became very popular, although troubles in 2017/18 saw a sharp downturn which appears to have been reversed. The school now has permanent accommodation, including new buildings and has pupils through the whole age range to A Level. The proposal to focus on the academic curriculum of the English Baccalaureate indicated the philosophy of the proposers, although their website paints a highly ambitious programme, apparently catering for all interests and aptitudes (nothing wrong with that) which may be difficult to achieve in such a small school, although intake has now increased to 120. Part of the thinking behind the proposal may be for children to avoid the large and socially diverse non selective schools in Ashford and Kennington, which has certainly been successful, with the Towers School in neighbouring Kennington especially hard hit. OFSTED  Jun 2015 - Good, although based on just two year groups. Problems at the top saw the headteacher depart suddenly summer 2017, a temporary replacement appointed and now a new permanent head has been in place for nearly two years, presumably the reason for the recent upswing in popularity.    

Strong GCSE performance in its first year, as featured in my 2018 article.