Primary school places: Record number of pupils in Kent to go to first choice this year

More than 97% of children in Kent will attend one of their chosen primary schools this September.

Kent County Council says a record number of families have been given one of their preferred primary schools with 90% or 15,426 applicants being given their first choice.

As a result, the fewest number of families ever will be allocated a school they did not name, with 390 children being assigned a school by Kent County Council.

This is a reduction of over half since 2012 when 818 children required a local authority allocation to a school with places.

Roger Gough, KCC’s cabinet member for children, young people and education, said: “Following a successful Secondary National Offer Day, officers have continued to work hard to ensure that as many pupils secured one of their preferred primary schools and we are pleased to see the continued improvement in figures.

“While we are happy to announce that a record low number of pupils needed to be given an alternative school, some families will still be receiving unwelcome news today. These parents can be assured that National Offer Day is just the first stage of offers and many will go on to secure places through waiting lists in the reallocation process and via appeals."

KCC says a specialist team is on hand to help parents make the most of the options available to them.

Parents who applied online will receive an email after 4pm on Monday (April 16) while those who applied with a paper application will be contacted by first class post today.

For more information on the primary school application process visit www.kent.gov.uk/primaryadmissions or phone the admissions team on 0300 412121.