Ealing has been named one of the top 10 boroughs in London for students receiving offers for their first choice of secondary school.

The borough ranked 9th out of 32, marking its best result in years, with 74% of secondary school applicants receiving an offer for their first choice.

Ealing has been on an upwards trajectory over the past three years, with figures increasing year on year.

This year, an impressive 94.5% of applicants to local schools received an offer from one of their preferred schools, meaning only 5.5% missed out.

Additionally, all children whose applications were received on time have been offered a place. Those who applied late will be notified of the outcome in the coming weeks, along with details of their available options.

Councillor Josh Blacker, the council’s cabinet member for a fairer start, said: “We’re delighted that so many students are choosing our secondary schools as their first choice and receiving a place.”

He continued: “As a council, we’ve been working hard to boost the standard of education within the borough. Last year, 98% of our schools were rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’. The Ealing Learning Partnership is also having a profound impact on how we work with our schools to achieve excellence.”

The wider London picture

Across London, nearly 95% of students received their preferred secondary school place.

According to data from the Pan-London Admissions Board, 94.8% of children due to start secondary school in London this September have been offered a place at one of their preferred schools. This includes 71.6% who secured their first-choice school, an increase of 1.1 percentage points from last year.

A total of 90.5% of London pupils – 79,184 children – were offered a place at one of their top 3 preferred schools.

This year, 87,512 applications were made for secondary school places in London, a decrease of 3.1% compared to last year.