Wiltshire's most over-subscribed secondary schools revealed
Selective schools top the list
It’s back-to-school time in Wiltshire, with new Year 7 pupils moving up to ‘big school,’ but which state-funded secondary schools saw a scramble for places – and where were parents disappointed not to get their first choice?
Topping the oversubscription chart were Wiltshire’s two selective schools – South Wilts Grammar School and the neighbouring Bishop Wordsworth’s School, both in Salisbury.
At South Wilts Grammar, which is a girls’ school with a mixed-sex sixth form, there were nearly one-and-a-half applications for every Year 7 place, with 230 applications for 158 seats.
At Bishop Wordsworth’s boys’ school there were 213 applications for 157 places – a ratio of one-and-a-third children to every place.
Of the non-selective establishments, Lavington School was the most oversubscribed with 205 applications for 168 Year 7 places – 1.2 applications for each place.
Lavington enjoys above national average GCSE results, and is rated Good by Ofsted, with inspectors highlighting a calm, orderly and friendly atmosphere, strong pupil behaviour, and students who feel safe, supported and proud of their school.
Just below was St John’s in Marlborough with 308 applications for 265 places – or 1.16 applications for every place.
St John’s has been delivering strong GCSE outcomes, with more than 80 per cent of students passing both English and maths and almost 30 per cent of all grades at 7 or above in recent results. It is rated Good by Ofsted.
Hardenhuish School in Chippenham, St Augustine’s in Trowbridge, and The Corsham School – all of which were are rated Good by Ofsted – were all slightly oversubscribed.
There was good news for parents who wanted to send their children to Warminster Kingdown; The Clarendon Academy, Trowbridge; Matravers School, Westbury; The John of Gaunt School, Trowbridge; Kingsbury Green Academy, Calne; Abbeyfield School, Chippenham; Royal Wootton Bassett Academy; Malmesbury School, The Stonehenge School, Amesbury; The Wellington Academy, Tidworth; The John Bentley School, Calne; Bradon Forest School, Purton; and Melksham Oak Community School, where every child got the place they wanted.
Among the easiest schools at which to secure a place this year were Avon Valley Academy, Durrington; Sarum Academy, Salisbury; The Trafalgar School at Downton; St Laurence School, Bradford-on-Avon; and Wyvern St Edmund’s Academy, Salisbury.
Schools with the most spare capacity included Sheldon School, Chippenham; St Joseph’s Catholic School, Salisbury; Devizes School; St Edmund’s Girls’ School, Salisbury; and Pewsey Vale School, where there were 39 applications for 56 Year 7 places.
School applications data is published annually by the Government.