Index
92% of pupils offered places in Kent non-selective schools for September 2018 were given their first choice school on allocation in March. 44 of the 46 schools were full, although this figure will fall after successful grammar school appeals see some of the pupils pull out leading to considerable churning. Just 6% of the places available were left vacant, a fall every year since 2014’s 11% at this stage, the 543 new places since last year not having kept pace with the rise in pupil numbers.
In some ways, the picture looks similar, although tighter, than 2017 with Thanet again having no non-selective places empty on allocation and two of the four most oversubscribed schools in the county: St George’s CofE Foundation School with 196 first choices turned away, and King Ethelbert’s School with 139. They are separated by Valley Park in Maidstone with 183 and Fulston Manor in Sittingbourne with 157. Shepway and Sevenoaks also have no vacancies in their schools, with five Local Authorities having spaces in just one school: Canterbury; Dartford; Gravesham; Swale; and Tunbridge Wells. All these situations still look critical for future years, even though there are three new secondary schools in the pipeline.
Tunbridge Wells looks especially challenging, with KCC appearing to have little idea of where much needed extra places are coming from over the next three years, This in a town where over two thirds of places go to children from faith families, and some 80 are sent to schools in neighbouring towns, most with a 30 mile round trip!
The number of Local Authority Allocations (LAA), children who had been given no school of their choice being placed in schools with vacancies by KCC, has risen by 12% to 739.
Seven schools would have more than a third of their places empty, but for the large numbers of LAAs as vacant spaces elsewhere dry up. They are headed up by: High Weald Academy, 64% spaces; New Line Learning Academy, 54%; and Oasis Academy Sheppey, with 43%
I look more closely at the most oversubscribed schools and those with most vacancies below, together with the situation in each District, along with the impact of out of county applications.
PLEASE NOTE
This annual survey of Kent non-selective places is the second largest article I produce each year (the largest is the parallel survey of primary school allocations. I am happy to accept there may be corrections or expansions needed, together with helpful comments, which I will incorporate if these are pointed out.
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It is important for families to appreciate there is considerable churning in some areas between now and September, as appeals (especially to grammar schools) and to more popular non-selective schools, play a major part in seeing movement in waiting lists.
MOST OVERSUBSCRIBED KENT NON-SELECTIVE
SCHOOLS ON ALLOCATION 2018
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SCHOOL
|
PLACES
OFFERED
|
1ST CHOICES
OVERSUBSCRIBED
|
2017
APPEALS
|
APPEALS
UPHELD
|
St George's CofE
Foundation (Broadstairs)
|
217 | 196 | 164 | 11 |
Valley Park | 270 | 183 | 47 | 6 |
Fulston Manor | 210 | 157 | 47 | 6 |
King Ethelbert | 150 | 139 | 40 | 4 |
Brockhill Park | 235 | 134 | 14 | 1 |
Westlands | 285 | 92 | 30 | 11 |
Skinners Kent Academy | 180 | 86 | 28 | 8 |
Trinity School | 180 | 81 | 5 | 5 |
Maplesden Noakes | 210 | 80 | 34 | 13 |
St Anselm's Catholic | 190 | 79 | 14 | 11 |
Hadlow Rural | 75 | 66 | 15 | 3 |
Charles Dickens | 232 | 64 | 27 | 5 |
St Gregory's Catholic | 240 | 58 | 11 | 7 |
Malling | 180 | 57 | 0 | 0 |
St John's Catholic | 195 | 56 | 0 | 0 |
Meopham | 140 | 55 | 0 | 0 |
St George's CE
(Gravesend)
|
210 | 51 | 6 | 0 |
And a further nine schools with more than 20 first choices oversubscribed |
Note: The appeal data should not be taken as more than a rough guide, as school situations can change from year to year; for example the rapid increase in popularity at Malling and Meopham, see below.
MOST VACANCIES IN KENT NON-SELECTIVE
SCHOOLS ON ALLOCATION 2018
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SCHOOL
|
PLACES |
PLACES
OFFERED
|
FIRST
CHOICES
|
% VACANCIES
BEFORE LAA
|
LAAS
|
High Weald | 150 | 86 | 40 | 64% | 32 |
New Line Learning | 210 | 177 | 85 | 54% | 80 |
Ebbsfleet Academy | 150 | 147 | 69 | 47% | 67 |
Hartsdown Academy | 180 | 180 | 51 | 47% | 85 |
Oasis Isle of Sheppey | 390 | 291 | 167 | 43% | 70 |
Holmesdale School | 180 | 128 | 75 | 41% | 22 |
Hayesbrook School | 151 | 150 | 56 | 38% | 57 |
This table includes all schools with an initial vacancy rate of over a third.
From Medway it is to mainly to Aylesford, Holmesdale, Malling and Meopham. From Bromley to Knole Academy, with a few to Trinity (presumably on religious grounds) and Orchards. East Sussex to Homewood, Bennett Memorial and St Gregory’s; out to Beacon and Uplands (close to Tunbridge Wells) and Rye and Robertsbridge (to the south); Bexley all Dartford traffic both ways; and Surrey to Oxted School.
DISTRICT SURVEY
KENT NON-SELECTIVE
SCHOOLS ON ALLOCATION 2018: DISTRICT OUTCOMES
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DISTRICT
|
PLACES
AVAILABLE
|
SCHOOLS
WITH
VACANCIES
|
VACANCIES
|
%
VACANCIES
|
LAAs
|
Ashford
|
1178 | 2 | 34 | 3 | 27 |
Canterbury | 1165 | 1 | 41 | 4 | 56 |
Dartford | 1128 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 68 |
Dover | 950 | 1 | 46 | 4 | 71 |
Gravesham | 1099 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 120 |
Maidstone | 1435 | 3 | 103 | 7 | 102 |
Sevenoaks | 540 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
Shepway | 685 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Swale | 1365 | 1 | 99 | 7 | 70 |
Thanet | 1158 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 135 |
Tunbridge & Malling | 1316 | 4 | 59 | 4 | 133 |
Tunbridge Wells | 1080 | 1 | 64 | 6 | 32 |