Places at Catholic secondary schools in the UK continue to be hugely popular, with newly available figures showing record applications by students.
According to the data released this week, tens of thousands of applicants have made Catholic secondary schools their first choice, creating fierce competition among pupils progressing from the primary education sector.
By way of example, in London, where application to place ratios were most stark, the Coloma Convent School for Girls saw 745 applications for just 120 places, while St Mark’s Catholic School in the city dealt with some 878 hopefuls for 186 places. This figure for applicants was an increase of 97 over last year’s record high. Meanwhile, the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School received a staggering 900 applications for its 120 class places. In November, The Sunday Times newspaper identified Cardinal Vaughan as “the best comprehansive in Britain” while ranking Coloma Convent sixth and St Mark’s 15th in its Top 20 schools nationwide.
The London Ortaory reported increases to already high application figures for all its teaching levels. Its sixth form allocation of 40 places was contested over by no fewer than 400 hopefuls, a surge from 240 last year; its senior school dealt with 950 applications for 160 slots, while the junior cycle received 64 aplications for its 20 places.
