Update: I have now received a copy of the (sketchy) Medway Press Release on Primary Allocations and have incorporated it below.
Excellent news for most Kent and Medway families applying for primary school places.
A record proportion of Kent pupils who applied for Reception places at primary schools will be offered their first choice school today, at 89.5%. Just 390 children have no school of their choice, a record low contrasting for example with 724 disappointed families in 2015. Unfortunately, the one page Medway Press Release is as usual almost content free, but informs us that over 97.5% of the 3347 Medway pupils were offered a place on their application form, slightly up on last year's 97.4%.
The promising Kent figures have been achieved because of a fall in numbers of children looking for places for the second successive year, 94 fewer than in 2017, and 773 fewer than in 2016. All 2018 data is from the KCC press release. In Medway there has been an increase of 17 children offered places in local primary schools.
I am waiting for detailed oversubscription and vacancy figures at both Reception and Junior School level to be sent, both for Kent and Medway and will publish these as soon as possible. You may find the equivalent picture for 2017 allocations helpful.
You will find advice below on what to do if you have not received a school of your choice, together with a breakdown of offers for both Kent and Medway over the past four years.
You will also find information and advice on appeals below and here. In summary, if your school is one of the overwhelming majority where Infant Class Legislation applies, chances are negligible.
Kent
'There are still local pressures focused on several towns including: Tonbridge with just one vacancy in one school; Ashford, two vacancies, apart from 14 in a school on the outskirts; Sevenoaks, full apart from 18 places in one school on the outskirts of town; and Tunbridge Wells just one school with 24 vacancies'. Most popular schools: Slade Primary (Tonbridge, 43 first choices turned away); Great Chart Primary (Ashford, 41); Cobham (Gravesham, 35); Cecil Road (Gravesham), East Borough (Maidstone), St Mildred's Infant (Thanet), all 34 first choices turned away.
Please note that the 2018 Kent figure of 390 children without places is itself inflated. Some families, as happens year on year, only apply for one popular school in the mistaken belief this will improve their chances. They will now need to make late applications to schools with vacancies. Other families especially in West Kent will have made alternative arrangements if they do not get the school of their choice, for example at private schools, and so not be looking for a place.
Medway
'The proportion of children offered one of their choices in a Medway primary school has risen to 97.4%, the highest proportion for at least five years. This is a result of a reduction of 160 in the number of Medway school places taken up by children from the Authority and outside. As a result, there are 432 vacancies across the 67 schools, which is 12% of the total available, up from 7% in 2016. Most difficult area as usual is Rainham, with just 8 vacancies in two of its schools, a total of 2%. of the total number of places. At the other end is Rochester with 17% of all places left empty in five schools. Most popular school is Barnsole Primary which turned away 52 first choices, followed by Walderslade and Pilgrim primaries each with 29 disappointed first choices for their 30 places'.
127 Medway places have been offered to children from outside the Authority. Almost all will have come from the Walderslade/Bluebell Hill area where there is cross county movement.
| Kent Primary Schools: allocation of Kent children to Reception Classes April 2018 |
| Offers to Kent Pupils | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| | No of pupils | % | No of pupils | % | No of pupils | % | No of pupils | % |
Offered a school on the application form | 16843 | 97.7% | 16855 | 97.4% | 17400 | 96.6% | 16691
| 95.8% |
Offered a first preference | 15426 | 89.5% | 15429 | 89.0% | 15705 | 87.2% | 14943 | 85.8% |
| Offered a second preference | 1093 | 6.3% | 1077 | 6.2% | 1229 | 6.8% | 1272 | 7.3% |
| Offered a third preference | 324 | 1.9% | 379 | 2.2% | 466 | 2.58% | 476 | 2.7% |
| Allocated by local authority | 390 | 2.3% | 444 | 2.6% | 606 | 3.4% | 724 | 4.2% |
| Total number of offers | 17233 | 17329 | 18006
| 17415 |
The numbers in the table below are not always consistent as data provided by Medway Council is not always easy to understand. Quoted percentages are not always accurate - with 'just under's/overs" often proving misleading. |
| Medway Primary Schools: allocation of Medway children to Reception Classes April 2018 |
| Offers to Medway Pupils | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| 2018 figures to follow. | No of pupils | % | No of pupils | % | No of pupils | % | No of pupils | % |
Offered a school on the appln form | 3263* | 97.5%* | 3245 | 97.4% | 3360 | 96.2% | 3396 | 96.4% |
Offered a first preference | | | 2978 | 89.4% | 3039 | 87.1% | 3067 | 87.1% |
| Offered a second preference | | | 209 | 6.3% | 220 | 6.3% | 256 | 7.3% |
| Offered a third preference | | | 49 | 1.5% | 61 | 1.8% | 55 | 1.5% |
| Offered a fourth preference* | | | 7 | 0.1% | 27 | 0.8% | 20 | 0.6% |
| Allocated by Council | 84* | 32.5%* | 85 | 2.6% | 134 | 4.0% | 126 | 3.6% |
| Total number of offers | 3347 | 3330 | 3490 | 3522 |
Not offered the school of your choice?
My normal initial advice still applies. Do not panic and take possibly rash decisions. There is nothing you can do for the good immediately, as you have to work through the laid down processes, and you can undermine your prospects by taking a wrong action.
You have the right to go on the waiting list for, and appeal for any school on your application form, where you have not been offered a place. You also have the right to make a late application in Kent to any school that was not on your original list, on or after 15th June, when the first reallocation of vacant places takes place to children already on the waiting list. You should use the KCC In Year Application Form and send it directly to all schools you are interested in as you choose, that were not on your application list. You are not restricted to just one school at a time. KCC will tell you which local schools still have vacancies on the day you enquire. This will not damage your chances at any school for which you are on the waiting list. If you are appealing and are offered a place at one of these schools in advance it may be taken into account. However, with the very low chances of success at appeal (see below), this is a risk worth taking. A large number of children are offered places off waiting lists, most setting off a ‘churning process’ freeing up other places. You have nothing to lose from going on the waiting list for as many schools as you wish. Sadly, chances of success at appeal are negligible in nearly all cases, as explained below.
Primary School AppealsMost Reception Class Appeals are governed by what is called Infant Class Legislation. Quite simply, you will not win an Infant Class Appeal if there are classes of 30 children in the Infant section, unless you have one of a few rare exceptional circumstances. Schools with intakes of, for example, 15, 20 or 45 children will run mixed age classes of 30, so fit the legislation. A few schools have an intake with a different number, especially some small rural schools in East Kent where this does not apply. With Infant Class Legislation in place, there was just one successful Reception Appeals in Kent out of 272 submitted, in Medway one out of 60. I also include columns recording places offered off waiting lists before appeals are heard, and the number of appeals withdrawn before the appeal was heard for other reasons.This table is for appeal Panels organised by KCC and Medway Council. A small number of primary appeals are managed by other organisations. Commentary here. You will find further information here.
| Kent and Medway Primary School Appeals 2017 |
| School | Appeals Submitted | Appeals Heard | Upheld | Not Upheld | Place Offered | Withdrawn |
Kent Reception Infant Legislation | 272 | 196 | 1 | 195 | 23 | 53 |
Kent Reception other | 38 | 36 | 14 | 22 | 0 | 2 |
| Kent Junior | 8 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Medway Reception | 60 | 31 | 1 | 30 | 8 | 21 |
| Medway Junior | 106 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
You will find two personal commentaries on Medway appeals here and here.