Revealed: Scramble for primary school places is toughest in wealthy Chelsea

A third of children in London’s wealthiest borough have missed out on their first choice of primary school today, the Evening Standard reveals.

The intense scramble for places in Kensington and Chelsea stands in stark contrast to the capital’s most deprived boroughs — Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Newham — where about nine in 10 four-year-olds will start at their chosen school in September.

More than 96,000 London families will find out today which primary school their children will go to in September. Across the capital, 85.5 per cent of children were given their first preference, down one per cent on last year despite a slight drop in applications attributed to the effect of Brexit.

In Kensington and Chelsea, only 66 per cent of children received their first choice, a drop of two per cent on last year. A council spokesman said their primary age population was growing and the borough’s highly rated schools attract a high number of “imports” from neighbouring areas.

He added: “The majority of our schools are heavily oversubscribed every year, but despite this, 90 per cent of residents were offered a place at a school of their preference, and all applicants were offered a school place on 16 April.”

Parents across London were asked to list six schools in order of preference. Barking and Dagenham has the highest rate of children achieving their first choice of primary, at almost 95 per cent. Across the capital, 96 per cent of applicants were offered a place at one of their top three preferred schools.

However, 2,478 children failed to get a place in any of their chosen six. Most will be offered an alternative school today but 31 children will have to wait until places become available as successful applicants move away, or drop out for other reasons. The Pan-London Admissions Board wrote to all parents today to tell them which school their child will attend.

Chairwoman Sara Williams said it was a “complex task” and added: “Pressure on different schools and local authority areas can vary.

“We will be keeping an eye on birth rates and patterns of population growth, but we expect demand for primary school places to continue at least at current levels, and demand for secondary school places to grow considerably in the years ahead.”