Education - the borough's schools
Rick Brit spoke about the balance between local authority and independent schools and asked whether a cap should be put on the number of preparatory schools in the Borough.
Children’s Services are unable to comment on properties being approved for use as independent schools, however we have outlined below the documentation available and promotion undertaken in terms of the application process for state-maintained schools.
Each year, the council produce a ‘hints & tips’ leaflet to outline the key points around the application process. Copies of the leaflet are sent to nurseries, children’s centres and schools, circulated to all local libraries, and an electronic version is made available on the website.
A composite school prospectus is also produced for both primary and secondary school, which contains valuable information about the application process and how offers were made in previous years. Where relevant, PowerPoint presentations are distributed to schools and made available on the website, and maps are produced to indicate how far a school offered to in the previous round of admissions. In short, a wealth of information is made available to help potential applicants navigate their way through the process and to gain an understanding on the likelihood of being offered a particular school.
The borough’s school attainment has been highlighted in previous press releases, such as the one below. The communications team utilise social media (such as Twitter) to highlight the application process to parents, and in the past the council has held open events at Kensington Town Hall and other sites for parents to drop-in and find out more about the process. Previously, posters have been displayed at sites around the borough, and adverts have appeared in The Primary Times.
Press Release 30 January 2018
Kensington and Chelsea has 100 per cent of schools rated good or outstanding in Ofsted’s latest figures. Based on 2017 figures this makes Kensington and Chelsea the best performing borough in London.
Results for GCSEs, A levels and Key Stage 2 regularly place Kensington and Chelsea pupils and students close to the top of national league tables. Exam results for children who receive free school meals in the Royal Borough are the very best in the country. In 2017 the difference in Kensington and Chelsea between those who receive free school meals and those who do not was down to 16 per cent. The national average is 20 per cent at Key Stage 2.