More than three quarters of young people given preferred secondary school place, smashing the London average

More than three in four young people in Barking and Dagenham will attend their first preference secondary school from September this year.

Figures show that out of 3,381 applications, 2,627 (77.67 per cent) of 10 and 11-year-olds have been offered their first preference, smashing the capital’s average of 68.30 per cent. 

Councillor Evelyn Carpenter, Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment and School Improvement said: “I am thrilled to see that such a large number of our young people have secured their preferred choice of school.

“Performing above the London average, once again, shows the great work that has been done to provide young people with their favoured choice. I also want to congratulate and thank the schools, who continue to do fantastic work for our young people as shown by the fact nine out of 10 of our schools are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted.”

For those who missed out on their first preference, the borough also performed above the London-wide average for top three preferences, with 93.2 per cent of applicants receiving an offer compared to 88.39 per cent.

National Offer Day (2 March, this year), is when parents who submitted their applications on time received the news of where their child will be going to secondary school.