• More than 98 per cent of Newham children due to start primary school from September 2023 have been offered a place at one of their parents’ top three preferred schools.
Figures released this week show more than 93 per cent (3,902 pupils) gained a place at their parents’ first preference school with a further 202 children offered a place at their second and third preference Newham school.
This means that Newham’s figures once again meet the government’s national offer day statutory targets for reception entry in September 2023.
Vik Verma, Director of Education, Inclusion and Achievement said: “This is great news for parents and carers in Newham, with the vast majority of children securing a place in their first choice of Primary School next year.”
Councillor Joshua Garfield, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning said: “Our fantastic team of staff work hard every year to ensure this complex process runs smoothly. We know it can be an anxious time for parents and carers, so we are delighted the vast majority of our families will be happy with the news today. Newham’s primary schools are among London’s best because every child deserves the best start in life.”
Newham’s allocation statistics break down like this, based on parents who applied on time:
| Preference No. offered | Number of Pupils | % of on-time applicants |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Preference | 3902 | 93.66 |
| 2nd Preference | 162 | 3.89 |
| 3rd Preference | 40 | 0.96 |
| 4th Preference | 7 | 0.17 |
| 5th Preference | 3 | 0.07 |
| 6th Preference | 1 | 0.02 |
| Preference not met | 51 | 1.22 |
Included above are 126 (3.02%) Newham children who were offered places at schools outside of Newham.
In addition 166 pupils who live outside of Newham were offered a placed in Newham infant or primary schools as part of Pan London co-ordination. Of these 53 have a sibling at the named school who is reasonably expected to still be on roll in September 2023.
Just 1.22 per cent of pupils (51) could not be offered place at any of their preferred schools and these were allocated alternative places at the closest school to their home which had places remaining. 36 were found a school less than half a mile away from home.
Every family that has been refused a place at one of their preferred schools has the right to an independent appeal hearing. Details are available here.