Kent children and parents set to discover secondary school places
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by political editor Paul Francis
Thousands of Kent school children will find out today which
secondary school they will be going to in September when they are
told the outcome of their applications for places.
But a computer glitch in the county council's systems means a
number of parents found out sooner than expected after several were
able to access a website notifying them of their applications a day
earlier. It is not clear how many parents were affected by the
glitch.
County education chiefs are optimistic the numbers of 10 and
11-year-olds across Kent who will get a place at their
preferred school will rise this year.
Around 17,500 applications from Kent were processed this
year.
But as in previous years, the scramble for places at the
most heavily over-subscribed schools is bound to cause
disappointment for some.
Last year, 78.5 per cent received first preference placements,
with 11.5 per cent being offered their second.
While KCC expects that to increase slightly, nationally around
one in five children moving from primary to secondary are likely to
miss out.
It has already emerged some children who passed the 11-plus may
not at this stage be offered a grammar school place.
It follows concerns raised last year when some children were
offered places at the county's selective schools miles away from
their homes. In one case, a student from Sevenoaks was offered a
grammar place at a school in Folkestone.
Kent County Council will send out emails to parents who applied
online later today at about 4pm while those who applied by post
will receive letters either Tuesday or Wednesday.
Monday, March 01 2010
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