Last year, there were just two schools out of 13 in the Margate of the district with vacancies, for 2017 there are six. Drapers Mills Primary Academy, Margate, is run by TKAT, with a difficult past and now out of Special Measures, has 49 of its 90 places empty, followed by Salmestone, also in Margate and run by TKAT, 18 out of 60. Birchington CofE has 17 out of 90. Cliftonville still has eight vacancies, in spite of its Outstanding Ofsted last November, up from RI, and the 11 LAACs allocated to the school, over half of the 20 allocations in total.

The most oversubscribed school is Holy Trinity and St John’s CofE with 22, and Palm Bay, Cliftonville, with 21. Bromstone Primary, habitually undersubscribed in recent years, has now become sought after under a new headteacher and turned away 11 first choices. The new primary section of St George's CofE Foundation School, Broadstairs, which offers priority for admission to the secondary part, the most oversubscribed non-selective school in Kent is unsurprisingly proving very popular, being 10 places oversubscribed. 

At the Ramsgate end, there are four heavily oversubscribed schools headed by St Mildred's Infants, turning away 34 first choices. It is followed by Callis Grange Infants and St Ethelbert's Catholic with 23,and Priory Infants, 22, as many parents try and avoid the only four schools with vacancies which, as a result have 127 empty spaces between them. Highest is Ramsgate Arts Primary School, a new Free School, with 70%, or 42 of its 60 places empty. The school is clearly suffering like so many other new schools, through having no premises of its own at present, currently staying on the site of its sponsor school, Chilton Primary. Next comes Dame Janet Primary Academy, yet another TKAT school, with 44 of its 90 places empty. It is followed at a distance by Ellington Infants, 28 out of 90, and Minster CofE, 13 out of 60. Newlands Primary, another TKAT school, manages to fill its 60 places by virtue of 21 LAACS out of a total of 30 in the District.

A new Free primary school, Bishop Chavasse Academy was due to open in September 2016 but was delayed because of problems at the Regional Schools Commissioners. The school has recently signed its Funding Agreement, and Planning Approval has been granted for temporary buildings, so the school will now open in September 2017. It has offered 60 places outside the norm for new Free Schools,  which will mainly come from local children with places allocated elsewhere. As a consequence there should now be considerable flexibility in the system. 

Slade Primary is the most oversubscribed primary school in Kent before the new  Free School offered places, turning away 43 first choices, found Outstanding by Ofsted in 2011. Next come Sussex Road, with 26, and St Margaret Clitherow Catholic, with 11.

Even St Stephen’s Primary, placed in Special Measures by Ofsted earlier this year, is full, albeit with seven LAACs.

The town has the second highest proportion of LAACs, children with no school of their choice, in Kent, at 7%, 18 being offered St Matthew’s High Brooms CofE, 17 St Mark’s CofE, and 8 allocated to St Barnabas’ CofE.

Most oversubscribed is Upton Juniors, Ofsted Outstanding, turning away 18 first choices, and Christ Church CofE Juniors, with 14, both in Thanet, but with no specific linked Infant school, perhaps reflecting the unhappiness some families have with alternative all-through primary schools in the District. There are three Junior schools seven places oversubscribed: Minterne Community, Sittingbourne; St James’ CofE, Tunbridge Wells; and Whitstable & Seasalter Endowed CofE.