Every secondary school-age pupil in the borough will receive a place at a school in September 2014, with 85.6% receiving their first or second choices, Lambeth council has announced.
The figures were released on Monday, the nationally anticipated ‘offer day’, when all secondary school places are announced.
For the second year running, Lambeth has accommodated all of its school-age pupils whose applications were received on time. The council has confirmed that there are enough places to support all late applicants.
67.3 per cent of Lambeth’s applicants received a place at their first preference school, close to the London-wide average of 69.2 per cent.
Across London, there was a 4.9 per cent increase in the number of applications, compared with Lambeth’s 6.6 per cent increase.
Nationally over 80 per cent of children received their first choice, however the capital’s school-age population has increased far more than the national average. Between 2001 and 2011, London’s secondary-age population rose by 8.2 per cent, compared with the national 0.2 per cent.
Councillor Rachel Heywood, Lambeth cabinet member for children and families, said: “Ensuring that, for the second year in a row, every child in the borough has a place waiting for them is a tremendous achievement.”
Another way of putting this (without the spin) is that one third of Lambeth kids didn’t get a place at the school they wanted. My stepson was one of them.
What a terribly sad state of affairs it is that this is news. But, good news indeed it is.