Children at some west London schools have to live just two minutes’ walk away in order to claim a place, new data has revealed.

Based on last year’s offers, the last child offered a place at Bousfield Primary School in Kensington and Chelsea lived just 0.13 miles from the school, a walk that would take around two and-a-half minutes.

Pupils given places at St Matthew's CofE Primary School in Hillingdon needed to live just three minutes from the school at 0.14 miles away, while the last child offered a place at John Betts Primary School in Hammersmith and Fulham lived just 0.15 miles away, a walk of around three minutes.

There were 12 primary schools in the local area where the last child offered a place lived less than five minutes walk away.

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When it comes to secondary schools, the last child offered an open Band 1 place at Lady Margaret School in Hammersmith and Fulham lived just 0.25 miles away, a five-minute walk away, while the last child offered a place at West London Free School lived 0.34 miles away.

Last places tend to be offered to children who do not fit other categories, such as having siblings at the school or faith, meaning if you fit other criteria you may have more of a chance of getting a place even if you live further away.

Estimates based on a walking speed of three miles per hour, or 20 minutes to walk a mile. Figures for the distance from the school of the last child offered a place for each school come from Freedom of Information requests to councils.

Some schools may not be included if they handle their own admissions process.

Distance may be used by schools as the last criteria for offering places, after siblings and religious criteria, or it may be used as a tiebreaker where there are more applications than places in some categories.

Not all schools use distance if places are filled through other criteria.

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