Oversubscription and vacancies in Kent Grammar Schools on allocation for September 2017

Note: the initial allocation figures for all Kent secondary schools reports that 3251 children, 19.5% of the total, did not get their first choice school on allocation. This figure is misleading as 887 of these were children who put grammar schools in first place but had not been found selective and so were ineligible, this becoming an irrelevant choice. They should therefore be deducted from the figures, reducing the figure to some 14% of children overall in Kent who did not get their first legitimate choice, a much lower figure than in many parts of the country.

You will find further information on Individual Secondary Schools here, currently being updated. 

Dartford Grammar School for Girls which, a few years ago, did give priority to local girls, has now gone down the same route, and as a result is the second most oversubscribed grammar school turning away 188 girls most from London Boroughs.  23 of their 55 ooc girls are coming from Greenwich or Lewisham, and the pass mark for local girls is also climbing fast, to 347.

Both of the Wilmington Grammar Schools made a clear statement two years ago when they gave priority for 90% of their places to local children, but because there are still not enough locals to fill all available places (a situation that will change rapidly as the Ebbsfleet Garden City blossoms) are also taking in a large London intake many making them their first preference schools, the Boys admitting 60, and the Girls 57. Wilmington Girls rejected 58 grammar qualified girls (making it the sixth most popular in Kent) and the Boys, 43.

There are calls from some political circles for another grammar school in Dartford, which would of course simply attract another grammar full of children from London. I am not sure this is the point of the new government plan.

The two Gravesend Grammars appear to be going down different routes with regards to admissions; the boys' school having expanded to 175 is filling up with ooc boys, offering places to 43. 14 of these live in Thurrock, presumably planning to cross the Thames on the passenger ferry. The school is clearly unhappy with the ooc situation and is reducing its intake to 150 for 2018 entry. For September 2017, all but one grammar qualified boys placing the school in first place were offered places. Mayfield Grammar introduced an additional route to admission via the Mayfield Test in 2015, seeing 16 girls arrive by this route in 2017. The school has expanded its intake by 25 places to admit 170 girls this September, suggesting there will be some 10 available on appeal,  but still turned away 22 first choices. 

Next comes The Skinners School, oversubscribed by 143 first choices, most of its ooc’s coming from East Sussex, followed by 11 from Bromley. The school, on a restricted site, remains at five form entry, but has increased its Planned Admission Number (PAN) by five places to 155. This may have severe implications for appeals, as previously the average number upheld has been five, but with those places already allocated, will the Appeal Panel be willing to raise class sizes above 31?

The Judd School, which changed last year to give priority to Kent children for 90% of its places has increased its PAN for the second time in five years, to 180 boys, in exchange for capital funding from KCC to accommodate this. Even with 30 extra places awarded, 102 grammar qualified fist choices lost out and the school’s cut off score for admission for local children rose slightly to 364 (up from 362), confirming the school’s popularity continues to swell. Meanwhile the bar for the out of area children soared to an aggregate of 400, which will have included just 19 ooc's, 15 from Bromley.

Meanwhile Weald of Kent Grammar at last opened the long delayed and controversial annexe in Sevenoaks. This has admitted 90 girls, but overall the school has only offered places to 30 more girls than last year, when it expanded its intake on the single site in preparation for the annexe. Some forecast it would lose out in popularity but, even with the enlarged intake, the oversubscription level rose from 33 to 44 in 2017. The school offered 13 ooc's, all but one from East Sussex. It is not clear how the school allocated places between the two sites, but there appear to have been no public concerns surfacing, suggesting that families are happy with the way the school has handled this. 

With the additional places offered for girls through the annexe and at Tonbridge, focus naturally turns to the pressure on boys’ places in West Kent. Judd’s decision to give priority to local boys and to expand has clearly helped, and this year Tunbridge Wells Boys’ Grammar has also offered to another 30 boys taking its total up to 210, although 26 first choices were turned away. The school remains very much a Kent provider, with just two ooc's offered places. Tunbridge Wells Girls’ has resisted inducements to enlarge, but has offered an additional five places this year, taking its PAN up to 145. As with Skinners, this may have significant implications for appeals, as the school has previously argued strongly that it is unable to go above this number, seeing some 7/8 only get through.

For some reason, presumably political, Maidstone Grammar has had a £4 million expansion programme to take its intake up 30 places to 205. The school gives priority to boys achieving at least a mark half way between the pass mark and the maximum marks available in the Kent Test, and living in named parishes. It is now no longer oversubscribed with first choices, but the second boys' grammar school in Maidstone, Oakwood Park, has lost 30 boys because of this expansion. It is currently running with 65 spaces before appeals, the highest figure for any Kent grammar. So with so many surplus places in the town, why was this capital expansion given such priority? 

The second highest vacancy figure in Kent is at Maidstone Girls’ Grammar with 42, whilst the controversial Invicta Grammar remains full only by virtue of reducing its intake by 18 girls to 192 from 2016's 210. Of the 16 Medway children offered places at Kent grammar schools, 11 are going to the two Maidstone girls' grammars. 

Between them, the four Maidstone grammars admitted an astonishing 164 children on appeal in 2016, which will have led to considerable churning amongst the non-selective schools.