More children than ever before will be attending their first-choice secondary school this in year.

In Redbridge, 2,652 children got into their first-choice school compared to 2,600 in 2019.

For the third year running the borough has beaten the London average to offer 88.41 per cent of children a place at their top three choices.

Overall 94 per cent were offered one of their six preferences, and those who weren’t given a school of their preference have still been offered an alternative place in the borough.

The leader of Redbridge Council, Cllr Jas Athwal, said: “We work hard as a council to do our best for local families and to make sure every child gets the best possible education.

“I’m delighted that our efforts are paying off and almost 90% of children are being offered places at one of their top three school choices.

“We are fortunate in Redbridge to have 95% of our schools rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted so every local child has the opportunity to go to an excellent local school.”

Cllr Elaine Norman, cabinet member for children and young people, added: “We have a fantastic selection of schools in the borough, which attracts a very high demand for places, so I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to offer more pupils their first-choice secondary school.

“We’ve worked extremely hard to accommodate families’ preferences, and I wish all Redbridge children the very best of luck as they prepare to take the next step in their education in September.”

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