More than 30% of children failed to get their first choice primary school in Kensington and Chelsea.

Less than 69% were offered their number one choice in the Royal borough, giving it the lowest figure across London, which had a first choice average of nearly 84%.

The figures have been published by London Councils, the body which runs the pan-London Admissions Scheme, which claimed the new figures showed continued pressure on school places strong demand in the capital.

It comes after getwestlondon reported that some pupils in the area are missing out on preferred choices if they live more than 300 metres from a primary school .

In west London, only Hillingdon and Ealing were able to boast figures above this, with 85.66% and 85.64% of its three and four-year-olds getting into their preferred school.

Despite having London’s lowest first choice percentage, Kensington and Chelsea Council said all applicants received school places. This compared to Brent , where 4.29% of children did not get any place.

Hounslow fell close to the average with just over 80% of children in the borough offered their top choice of school.

Hounslow council has said at a time when demand is at an all-time high it was able to offer every child whose parents or carers applied on time a primary school place.

Councillor Tom Bruce, cabinet member for education and children’s Services at Hounslow Council, added: “It is fantastic to be able to offer every child a place, which given the ever-growing population and constraints to funding, is by no means easy.

“All of London’s schools are facing huge challenges to meet the increased pressure on places and here in Hounslow, we work very hard to ensure we can give our children the very best start in life by offering them the opportunity to get an education they deserve.”

'Unfortunately we can't accommodate everyone'

A spokesperson for the Royal borough said the figures showed a significant improvement on that of the previous year . He said: “All of our schools are good and in very many cases outstanding, with many parents applying for these schools as a first choice.

“We have been working hard to make sure as many parents as possible get their child a place in the school they want. This has included investment in a new school and expansions. This has resulted in 68.1% receiving a first preference school compared with 59% last year.”

Other boroughs also had their say. Head of children and education at Hammersmith and Fulham Council , which scored 71.8% for first choice primary schools, is Sue Macmillan.

She said: “We have some very popular schools in Hammersmith & Fulham which many residents choose as their first choice.

"Unfortunately, this means we cannot always accommodate everyone who applies for those schools, which means higher numbers of pupils miss out on their top preferences. All our children are offered a place in a local school.”

School places challenge

Across the capital, the 84% accepted into first preference schools represents a 3% increase on last year. Helen Jenner, chair of the Pan London Admissions Board, said funding must be made available to cope with the growing primary school age population .

She said: “The fact that 84% of pupils have been offered their first preference, a 3% increase on last year, reflects how proficient the London system is at matching places with children.

"Effective relationships between boroughs and schools, grounded in local knowledge, make it possible for capacity to be expanded where places are most needed.

“However, increases in London’s primary population are now feeding through to secondary, creating a school places challenge across the education system. Boroughs need long term funding arrangements that truly reflect the costs shouldered by London schools and help them to plan ahead effectively.”

Local authority First preference offers Second preference offers Third preference offers Fourth preference offers Fifth preference offers Sixth preference offers
Brent

91.30%

9.01%

3.42%

1.25%

0.51%

0.23%
Ealing

85.66%

6.79%

3.05%

1.26%

0.39%

0.30%
H&F

71.80%

11.67%

6.03%

2.89%

1.44%

1.11%
Hillingdon

85.64%

7.57%

2.42%

1.54%

0.54%

0.27%
Hounslow

80.63%

9.88%

3.85%

1.79%

0.69%

0.44%
Harrow

79.97%

9.04%

4.16%

1.73%

0.82%

0.41%
K&C

68.21%

11.55%

4.88%

3.33%

1.55%

0.36%
Westminster

82.28%

8.90%

3.73%

1.52%

0.23%

0.23%
Ave

83.59%

7.72%

2.96%

1.36%

0.60%

0.35