We opened two new schools and another is coming; one in North Kingston, one in Norbiton and another to open in the Surbiton area.
As well as the most recent primary schools we have also seen the opening of a new secondary school. In the critical area of families getting the place they want at the right school, Kingston now performs very well. In 2017 87% of children received one of their preferred primary school choices (under the Lib Dems this fell to 79% in 2013) and 95% received one of their top three preferred schools. The figures mean that Kingston is now the third highest London borough for offering children their first choice, an increase from sixth, last year. Kingston continues to achieve above London averages for parental preference satisfaction and our standards continue to improve.
Jenny, a local Mum of three said “Back in 2014 I really worried about how we were going to get our eldest child into the school we wanted. By the time it came to our third child, last year, I could not believe how worry free the whole process was. It’s clear something has changed and it must be the Council providing more places.”
There are however, significant cost pressures in caring for those children with Special Educational Needs and we are working hard with the supportive local MP and the schools to explore how we can meet this significant growth within the resources we have been given.
