The high success rate follows the introduction of a new London-wide admissions system. This allowed parents and their children to include up to six maintained schools from anywhere in London on a single application form.

The scheme encourages applicants to make realistic choices based on each school's admissions policy. Schools taking part in the scheme are not told how high they have been placed.

In nine out of ten cases Wandsworth children were offered one of their top three choices - whether a local school or one outside the borough.

The new process ensured that the vast majority of children received their offer of a secondary place on the same day - March 1st 2005. Because applicants could not receive more than one offer this speeded up the system for the much-reduced number without an offer on March 1st

A total of 3,464 pupils applied for places at local maintained schools - split evenly between Wandsworth residents and those living in other boroughs. Of the 1,752 places taken up just under a third came from outside Wandsworth.

Education director Paul Robinson said the new system of coordinating applications across London had brought benefits for parental choice:

"This was the first year of an ambitious project among local authorities to share information on applications and offers.

"The schools still decide the order in which places are offered - but by pooling all the data across London we can make the system work a great deal more quickly.

"Provided parents take care to match applications to the admissions criteria for each school they have a much better chance of receiving a suitable offer.

"The success of the new arrangements is a good example of local education authorities working well with schools to improve the service to parents. It is neither a centralised offer system nor a free-for-all - it is a managed and coordinated approach which local councils are perfectly placed to deliver."

The figures also showed that around two thirds of pupils living in the borough were admitted to a local secondary school in September. Twenty-two per cent chose a school outside Wandsworth and 11 per cent transferred to the independent sector.

The London-wide admissions scheme includes maintained schools from 33 London boroughs and seven counties.


November 15, 2005