Oversubscription & Vacancies in Kent Primary schools: Allocation for September 2017

 There are many factors affecting a school’s popularity, alongside a Good OFSTED and Test performance. New housing development in many parts of the county can introduce pressures ahead of new school provision. One other factor that can produce a one off dramatic effect on demand is the number of siblings which can very sharply year on year, who have priority for admission in most schools, as discussed here. I have been very conscious this year of the increasingly high proportion of the parents who wish to discuss primary school admissions with me, citing OFSTED rating as their key criterion.

Where a child is offered none of their three chosen schools KCC offers a place in a school with vacancies and is counted as a Local Authority Allocated child (LAAC). As noted in my previous article: ‘Of those 444 children who were not offered one of their preferred schools, nearly half failed to make use of all available preferences, limiting Kent’s ability to offer them a preferred school’. So one must be careful not to read too much into this figure.

Please note that Reception Class Appeals will only succeed in exceptional cases; last year there were just 12 out of 248 upheld where Infant Class Legislation applied. I am aware of several of these and can confirm that the reasons will not apply to the vast majority of appellants. For the overwhelming majority of disappointed applicants the only chance of success, albeit usually a small one, is through the school waiting list.

At this time of exceedingly tough pressure on school budgets, failure to attract a good intake of pupils can be devastating as staff may have to be laid off or not replaced, if the money is not there to  pay them. Seven Kent primary schools have had at least two years being half empty or more.

You will find further information on individual schools (mainly OFSTED) here, performance here, and general here. 

I have tried to include as much detail as possible, but it is possible I have left out something of importance, or else made errors in such an extensive survey, in which case please feel free to contact me and if appropriate I will amend the article.

I have tried to include as much detail as possible, but it is possible I have left out something of importance, or else made errors in such an extensive survey, in which case please feel free to contact me.

 The Districts are:

Page 2 - Ashford; Canterbury (including Whitstable and Herne Bay); Cranbrook; Dartford; 

Page 3 – Dover, Deal & Sandwich; Faversham; Gravesham; Maidstone; Malling (including Kings Hill)

Page 4 -Sevenoaks ; Shepway (including Folkestone and Hythe); Swale  (including Sheppey); Swanley

Page 5 -Thanet; Tonbridge;Tunbridge Wells; Junior Schools

KCC carries out a rolling Commissioning Plan that looks at the whole of its school provision and plans for the future which is well worth a read if you have the patience to work through its 152 pages, but shows a far better sense of planning than the ad hoc methods of five or more years ago, with all the crises that accompanied it!  

Please note that my division of the county into districts varies from KCC’s. The immense pressure on town school places in a KCC district, often difficult to resolve, is often hidden by vacancies in the more rural hinterland. KCC retains its policy that the optimum size of an all through primary school is two forms of admission, and to only expand OFSTED Good or Outstanding schools, an ambition that is not fulfilled but is becoming easier with the risein proportion of Good and Outstanding schools. However, most schools of all categories in areas under pressure have now been expanded where possible and it is often difficult to see where further increase can be made, except by Free Schools opening in unsuitable premises for a school.  To expand a school permanently by one whole class of 30 requires there to be space for seven classrooms, as the increase works through the school, together with recreation land, a massive demand on an individual school in a limited boundary.

Away from the town, the only school seriously oversubscribed is as usual Challock Primary, rejecting 21 first choices. Brook with over half its 15 places empty probably simply suffers year on year because of a small catchment to draw on, although it also has a Good OFSTED in its favour. Another nine schools have over a quarter of their spaces unfilled.

Most families have their first choice outside the city, except at Blean which had 18 first choices disappointed, Hampton 13, and Herne Infants Nine. There were five oversubscribed at both Chislet and Hoath. Wickhambreaux added 5 places seeing all its first choices admitted. However, whilst just four of the twelve rural schools have vacancies - Adisham; Chartham; Littlebourne and Petham – there are plenty along the coast.

In the eastern part of Dartford District, mainly out of town, just three schools out of 13 were oversubscribed, most at Bean, turning away 12 first choices. The others were Hartley and Sutton at Hone. Most vacancies were at Knockhall Academy with 28 spaces, still recovering from its disastrous ownership, including a failed OFSTED, by the now closed Lilac Skies Academy Trust. The new Cherry Orchard Primary Academy in the Ebbsfleet Garden City development officially has 24 of its 30 places empty, but has been able to offer places outside the Kent admission scheme, so probably has more children coming.

The large fall in pupil numbers has created plenty of vacancies in eight schools, Chantry having 29 of its 60 places free, its recent OFSTED seeing the school jump two levels from Special Measures to Good, under the Greenacre Academy Trust, having come too late for the admission process. Copperfield Academy, which for some reason expanded by 30 places to 90 for the 2017 entry, still has 29 places free, in spite of being allocated 8 of the 20 Gravesham LAACs. It has now appointed as headteacher Kevin Holmes, until recently head of Istead Rise (see below). It is unfortunate that the school cannot spell its own head’s name correctly on its website!  Westcourt has 24 of its 60 places vacant.

In the countryside, Cobham is the only seriously oversubscribed school, turning away 35 first choices. Istead Rise has still not thrown off its previous dreadful reputation when run by Meopham Community Academy, now Swale Academy Trust run, and has seen its number of vacancies triple to 29 out of 60. Other schools with vacancies are Culverstone Green, Shorne and Vigo Village.

There is a 5% fall in Year R pupil numbers since 2016. Molehill Primary (previously run by the disastrous AET chain, now by Leigh Academies) has 21 vacancies, or 47% of its 45 places. Barming and Holy Family Catholic have 43%, all three academies with a recent Special Measures judgement clearly having an effect. Next comes the three year old Jubilee Primary with 9 vacancies or 30% of its total of 30. Jubilee, run by an Evangelical Group was proposed for expansion to 60 places, supported by KCC last year, when the pressure was on, but it is clear this is not a popular option and perhaps should not be encouraged again. Then come Tree Tops with 29% (also previously AET now Leigh) and Aylesford (Valley Invicta Trust) 18%, in spite of a Good OFSTED before primary applications were submitted, but previously in Special Measures. The 11 vacancies would have been 24 were it not for 13 LAACs, ninth largest figure in Kent. Southborough Primary almost filled, but had 28 LAACs, the largest figure in the county.

Only 6 of the 20 primary schools in the rural villages and towns were oversubscribed, Loose with its recent OFSTED Outstanding, the only one heavily so, with 24 first choice children not accepted. Next is Bredhurst, on the Medway border, with an Outstanding OFSTED as long ago as 2011, with 9.

Outside the town, there are four schools with half or more of their places vacant, suffering a damaging 9% fall in Year R numbers since 2016. Ulcombe with just four of its 15 places filled, and Leeds & Bromfield CofE five out of 15, both in spite of Good OFSTED Inspections last year improved from the previous Requires Improvement, are clearly struggling to attract pupils. The other two are the normally oversubscribed Platts Heath, six out of 13, and Sutton Valence, 15 out of 30.

Just two schools with a significant number of vacancies: Valley Invicta (Leybourne Chase) with 32 out of 60; and Wouldham 23 also out of 60.

As usual, the only school with vacancies is Seal, just outside the town, with 18 of its 60 places empty.

I consider Swanley and District separately below, so the only seriously oversubscribed school in the large Sevenoaks hinterland is Anthony Roper Primary in Eynsford, with 16 first choices turned away. Half of the 22 schools have vacancies, most at Edenbridge with 26 and Dunton Green 18.

Most vacancies are at All Souls, with 44% of its places, a total of 20 children, empty. Then come Martello Grove Academy, another casualty of Lilac Sky, now taken over by Turner Schools with 23%, and Harcourt 20%. Surprisingly, both All Souls and Harcourt have had two consecutive Good OFSTEDs.

Outside Folkestone, there is a massive 21% vacancy level across the 19 schools, headed by Brenzett Primary with two thirds of its 20 places empty, followed by Dymchurch 58% of its 45 places vacant. Both schools’ most recent OFSTED placed them in Special Measures, but they have now both been taken over as an academy by the CofE Canterbury Diocese. Next comes Bodsham, with 7 of its 15 places empty.

Just six schools are oversubscribed, none by more than four first choices.

The two schools with most vacancies are the 90 place capacity West Minster and Halfway Houses, with 30% and 26% vacancies respectively.

Sunny Bank School, the renamed recent amalgamation of Murston Infant and Juniors, has most vacancies, with 51% of its 45 Reception places empty. Lansdowne, with its most recent Ofsted placing the school in Special Measures, now run by the Stour Academy Trust, has 36% of its 60 places empty, and Milton Court Primary Academy, now out of Special Measures, 27% of its 30%.

Half the rural schools are oversubscribed, led by Bobbing Village school with eight disappointed first choices. Rodmersham has eight and Teynham Parochial CofE 4. Newington CofE has 12 places empty and Hernhill 8, both out of 30.

Crockenhill and Horizon School, Swanley, are both 8 places oversubscribed, and Downsview, Swanley, just one.

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, whilst there are only four schools with vacancies, they 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. 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 has now been delayed twice, current target 2018, because of delays at the Regional Schools Commissioners. This is clearly causing extreme pressure, but no sign yet of the dreadful situation two years ago when a number of Tonbridge children were allocated to schools in Tunbridge Wells.

Slade Primary is the most oversubscribed primary school in Kent, 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.