Which area is most competitive for secondary school admissions?

The latest government statistics show that in the 2021/2022 academic year, 23% of secondary schools in England were either at or over capacity showing an increased rate of competition for school places.

Our ‘school squeeze’ campaign suggests that the broader picture across England is much more varied.

To understand which areas are most squeezed (where there are the most children per number of schools in their local authority) and where parents have the best access to their first choice secondary schools, we looked at the number of children set to attend secondary school in the 2023/24 academic year, and then compared this to the number of secondary schools per local authority.

According to the data, Hull is the most squeezed location. With only 21 schools in the local authority area and 3,543 children moving up to secondary education in the next academic year, this equates to is 168.7 children per school - the highest of all locations

This is followed by Barking and Dagenham, which is the most squeezed London Borough and the second most squeezed area overall. With just 22 secondary schools in the local authority almost 167 children will be competing for a place per school with 3,663 children set to begin secondary school next year.

Within the top 20 most squeezed locations, Essex has 140 secondary schools in the local authority, which is the highest number of schools on the list – but with 128 children per school getting ready to enter secondary education, competition is high.

The areas offering the best access to secondary schools are very much a mixed bag.

While southern LA’s Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea take the top two spots, North Yorkshire also features in the top 20 areas with an average of 70 children per school in the local authority area.

Northumberland also features highly as an area with good access to secondary schools despite 3,415 children set to begin secondary school in 2023/24, there are 52 secondary schools in the local authority.

Despite the fallout from Brexit and Covid-19 prompting many families to reconsider living in the capital city, secondary schools in many London boroughs are still feeling the squeeze, according to our data.

Richmond upon Thames was found to be the most competitive London borough for secondary school places. There are 30 secondary schools in the area, and we estimate that there are around 1,295 children ready to move up to secondary education next year, which is 431 children per school.

The situation is reversed in Westminster, however, with 41 schools in the area and an average of 37 children per school. Camden and Hammersmith & Fulham followed closely behind as the London Boroughs with the best access to secondary school places.

Most Squeezed London Boroughs

Best Access To Secondary Schools In London Boroughs

Any area with a large number of Ofsted-rated ‘Outstanding’ schools can attract families when they’re looking to relocate, which can help schools to keep pupil numbers high.

While Bath and North East Somerset, only has one Outstanding secondary school, there are 2,018 children set to begin secondary school in the next academic year, making it the most-squeezed area for Outstanding secondary schools. Stoke also has just one Outstanding secondary school, with 3,449 children per Outstanding school.

Most Squeezed Areas For Outstanding Schools

Islington offers parents the best access to outstanding secondary schools. There are eight Outstanding schools in the local authority, and 250 children per school. Although 1,508 children are set to enter secondary school education next year, Westminster has six Outstanding schools which equals around 251 children per school.

Southern local authorities have dominated the list of areas with the best access to Outstanding secondary schools with York proving to be the exception to the rule.

Best Access To Outstanding Schools

While a ‘squeezed’ school area can be bad news for parents looking to secure their first place, there are advantages for the schools themselves, as well as challenges.

For local authority schools, a healthy admissions register can help to secure vital funding. Doing so will be essential for all schools amid last year’s landmark rise in teacher salaries, and the first winter since the energy crisis hit.

Head teachers with busy classrooms should pay particular attention to the wellbeing of their staff, too. Ofsted recently warned of the risk that the education sector’s workforce crisis poses. Reducing unnecessary stress on existing staff members will be key, while also upholding great standards of education. By introducing digital revision tools, schools can manage pupils’ learning, while supporting their staff – and with school HR software teacher wellbeing can be effectively monitored.

Schools with pupil numbers that often vary from term to term would benefit from curriculum planning software. This is true whether it’s a school in Slough wondering if they need to hire new staff to teach their volume of new starters, or a school business manager in Rutland wanting to know how their new budget can meet the needs of pupils.

Private schools weren’t included in our data collection campaign, but the challenges faced during the admissions process shouldn’t be ignored. When Latymer Upper School invested in a new parent engagement software, its admissions registrar found that she saved around 100 hours of time in the admissions process, while also improving parent communication by updating progress in real-time.

If you’re interested in finding out more about our systems designed exclusively for schools, get in touch with our expert team to discuss your needs.

Methodology for data collection:

• We based the number of children set to enter secondary school in 2023/24 using the most recent Census, which is based on information as of 21 March 2021.
• In order to establish the number of children due to be turning 12 between 1 September 2023 and 31 August 2024 (eligible for entry into Secondary school)), we took the average number based on count of 7 year olds and 8 - year olds at the time of the Census.
• The number of secondary schools (and outstanding secondary schools) were taken using the Government's School Performance Checker
• City of London, Cumbria and Isle of Scilly were excluded due to invalid school data.