Eight in 10 get primary school place of their choice in Lambeth

More than eight in 10 children in Lambeth have got into their first choice primary school starting this September.

Figures released yesterday also showed that every child who had an application for a reception place at a Lambeth primary school has been offered one.

This is the ninth consecutive year that over 90 per cent of families have been offered a place at the school of their choice.

In Lambeth, for September 2020 entry, 86 per cent of applicants received their first-choice school, and 7.8 per cent their second choice.

Parents and carers were asked to list up to six schools of their choice in order of preference.

They applied through their home borough for any state school anywhere in England.

Lambeth is part of the pan-London system which links with the other 33 London authorities and five surrounding councils. This collaboration enables the process to work smoothly, as the vast majority of preferences made by Lambeth residents are within London.

Lambeth received 2,674 applications for primary school places this year.

Cllr Jennifer Brathwaite, deputy leader of the council (children and young people), said: “Deciding on your child’s first school is a difficult time for any family, but it has been especially stressful this year, amid this unprecedented period of disruption for all our pupils and our schools.

“Despite the Covid-19 shutdown, however, staff across London have been working hard to ensure that pupils will have their school places for September.

“This is a tremendous achievement in itself, but the fact that Lambeth has managed to offer a reception place to every family that applied is something for us all to be proud of.”