Over three-quarters of young people in Barking and Dagenham will attend their first preference secondary school from September this year.

Figures show that out of 3,372 applications, 2684 (79.60 per cent) of 10 and 11-year-olds have been offered their first preference, far exceeding the capital’s average of 66.63 per cent. 

Councillor Evelyn Carpenter, Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment and School Improvement said: “I am delighted to see that such a large proportion of our young people will attend their preferred secondary school in September.

“In these challenging times, it’s pleasing to be able to bring happiness to lots of children and their parents.

“Once again, we have performed incredibly well compared to the rest of London; I would like to personally thank the School Admissions staff for their hard work.”

For those who missed out on their first preference, the borough also performed above the London-wide average for top three preferences. 93 per cent of applicants in the borough received an offer on a school in their top three, compared to 87 per cent London-wide.

Overall, 97 per cent of applicants in the borough have been offered one of their preferences compared with the London average of 93 per cent.