A NORTH-EAST secondary school has become one of the first in the country to allocate a place to every 11-year-old that applies to attend.

Nunthorpe Academy, which is the best performing secondary school in the Redcar and Cleveland area, will admit every year 6 primary school student that applies to attend from September.

Normally secondary schools set an upper limit on admissions from primary schools, leaving some parents disappointed at not securing a place.

But the decision of Debbie Clinton, principal at Nunthorpe Academy, will mean that many families will be spared the upset and worry of the uncertainty of where their child will be educated.

She said: “Not capping our admission for year 7 students is something quite radical and revolutionary – but we are no strangers to such an approach.

“We’ve had a record number of Year 6 applicants this year and we’ve moved heaven and earth to grant every student that wants to be educated at the Academy a place.

“We have always been ambitious and determined to deliver a very high quality education for our children and their parents, along with an excellent employment environment for our staff. School growth, carefully and strategically managed, is one way in which to deliver this ambition.

“Nunthorpe has carefully planned the expansion of our campus accommodation, staffing levels and income to meet our vision for diverse growth and we will embrace this opportunity for growth unreservedly – meeting all the challenges and risks head on with conviction, passion and unremitting determination.”

Nunthorpe is rated by Ofsted as an “outstanding” school.