Pupils fail to get schools of choice

Photo: Anthony Miller

MORE PLACES . . . Cllr Amanda Chadderton

OLDHAM is bottom of the class for the proportion of children missing out on attending a secondary school of their choice.

Some 8.9 per cent did not get a place to start at any of their preferred schools in September - the sixth highest figure in the country.

This compares to 3.6 per cent nationally, according to figures released by the Department for Education which ranks Oldham bottom in the North West.

The borough is also the second worst in the region for the percentage of pupils getting their first preference school, 74.8 per cent compared to 83.5 per cent nationally, which is the lowest level in England since 2010.

But Oldham Council say the number of pupils getting their first choice has actually increased by 148 pupils to 3,313 since national offer day on which the official figures are based. This is due to some families taking up places in other local authorities if they have moved house or at independent schools.

Nationally, ten per cent of youngsters were not offered their first choice of primary school, an improvement from 11.6 per cent last year.

Oldham also performed better on primary school applications, with just 8.6 per cent not getting their first preference.

Applications to primary schools in England are falling, thanks to a drop in the birth rate since 2013, meaning a greater percentage of children are being offered a place at their first choice.

By contrast, applications to secondary schools have been rising steadily in recent years, prompted by a spike in births in the previous decade.

But a child's chances of receiving a first preference depended greatly on where they live, the North East performing the best.

Two new secondary schools are planned for Oldham - A new free school run by Oasis Academy Oldham and a Church of England School run by the trust with operates Blue Coat School. Schools are also being expanded.

Amanda Chadderton, Oldham's cabinet member for education and early years, said: "We had 3,169 children to find secondary school places for this year. That's almost 100 more places than last year.

"We have a growing population and more children each year to provide an education for, but everyone who applied on time this year got a place at a secondary school.

"We appreciate that gaining a place at the preferred school is important to our young people and their families. We are working very hard to ensure even more children secure a place at their desired school in the future.

"Work is also ongoing to increase capacity at a number of secondary schools across the borough."