Which Lincolnshire secondary schools are the hardest to get into?
Lincolnshire's most popular secondary schools are denying places to as many as half the children listing them as their first choice, this website can reveal.
With only a finite number of seats in the classroom, popular schools are left with no choice but to turn away children.
In some cases, a school’s reputation for strong academic performance and its wide range of extracurricular opportunities are the reason for it being inundated with applications. Geography and the number of other secondary schools nearby are also contributing factors.
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The Priory Academy LSST in Bracebridge Heath is seen as a top choice in the county, according to Government schools admissions data compiled by LincsOnline.
The school near Lincoln, which was rated good in its latest Ofsted inspection, turned away 50% of the 428 pupils who selected it as their first choice.
The Priory Ruskin Academy in Grantham is the second most popular with 40% of first choice applications rejected, followed by Skegness Grammar School which had to turn down 32% of prospective pupils.
Grammar schools pick children for admission based largely on how they score on a standardised test at age 11.
Although scoring well increases a child's chances of admission, it's not guaranteed as other factors such as geography, faith, and socioeconomic background can affect it as well as a schools’ own selection process.
For Bourne Grammar School if there is oversubscription, applications of children who have passed the 11 plus are accepted in the following order: children in state care, a sibling at the school, children of staff, distance from the home to school.
This means as long as a child has passed the entrance exam, just how well they scored in the test will not make a difference.
Headteacher Alastair Anderson says this is important as he wants all children to get a fair shot at benefitting from the education on offer, while also recognising that a level of academic ability is needed to keep up with lessons at Bourne Grammar School.
He said: “We accept as many pupils as we can.
“Historically when the school became an academy in 2012 we had an extensive expansion.
“We now have eight classes of 30 but we physically can’t take anymore.
“Because of the quality of what we offer, more people apply than there are places.”
Bourne’s growing population has led to the catchment area shrinking to about 10 miles.
“As the school’s popularity increases, if you are on the opposite side of Stamford you may not get a place,” said Mr Anderson.
See also: County schools among best in the region
Selective schools dominate the top 10 in Lincolnshire, with seven schools turning away at least 24% of first choice applicants.
Geography is also a major factor, which can be seen on the county borders.
A prime example of this is The King’s School, where of the 172 spots granted to pupils last year, 77 went to children living outside the county.
Rutland, England’s smallest county, has a lower than average number of young people living there.
Of the 1,130 children who applied to Rutland’s three secondary schools - Casterton College, Uppingham Community College and Catmose College - 44% lived in a different county.
Stamford is closer to Casterton College than a number of villages in the school’s catchment area - however children living in Rutland are given priority. Despite this, almost 60% of places went to children living in a different authority.
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