Sutton’s place as one of the top boroughs to send children to school has been further cemented by new figures showing 97 per cent of pupils will attend one of their chosen secondary schools come September.

This comes after years of investment, estimated to reach £139.3m between 2008 and 2018, which this year alone has led to the creation of 360 new primary places, 875 secondary and 80 special educational needs places.

There has also been a further boost following the announcement that the Greenshaw Learning Trust has been given permission to build a new school in the borough, prompting Sutton Council to announce that capacity can now meet the needs of the borough’s pupils.

A Sutton Council spokesman said: “Our schools are consistently among the best in the country.

“They have also been flexible in meeting the demand for places, but there is a balance to be struck between maintaining that excellence and how much demand for places our existing schools can meet.

“With a significant number of primary schools already expanded in the borough, the council identified the need for additional secondary school provision.

“So we welcome the Government’s decision to approve the Greenshaw Academy Trust proposal to develop a free school because this will support the growing demand for school places in Sutton.”

The Greenshaw Learning Trust was given approval by the Department for Education (DfE) to build its new school on Friday, March 6.

The site for the new school is still to be determined, despite a target completion date of 2017.

Sutton Hospital in Cotswold Road and the all-weather pitch at Rosehill Park are the frontrunners.

It will ultimately take 1,450 students.

Will Smith, executive headteacher of the Greenshaw Learning Trust said: “As well as addressing the urgent need for additional secondary school places in Sutton, the DfE has recognised Greenshaw’s track record, the strength of our proposal and the support we have received from the community.”

The 97 per cent of children who got one of their chosen schools compares with the London average of 93.5 per cent and comes despite a 5 per cent increase in applications.


Of those, 75 per cent got their first preference, which is above the London average of 68 per cent. 
For top three preference offers, Sutton achieved 93 per cent against 88.4 per cent for the London average.
A spokesman advised those who did not get a preference school offer to reconsider originally unfavoured options.