MORE children from outside Gloucestershire are filling places in the county’s seven grammar schools than ever before.

There are currently 751 pupils with non-Gloucestershire postcodes at the grammar schools, a 97 per cent increase from 2016, according to Freedom of Information requests by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The majority of the non-Gloucestershire based pupils travel from Swindon (529), and three were enrolled from Newcastle postcodes but now live in the county.

Children also attend from Bristol, Worcestershire, Oxford, Warwickshire, Herefordshire, Taunton and Newport (South Wales), the FOIs data showed.

In total, 5,621 pupils from Gloucestershire postcodes go to The Crypt, Sir Thomas Rich’s, Denmark Road High School, Ribston Hall High, Marling, Stroud High School and Pate’s.

Stroud High School headteacher Mark McShane, whose grammar took in 160 pupils from outside the county last September, told the LDRS his location means he has pupils from Swindon attending.

He also said the number of overall pupils attending the county’s grammar schools has increased over the past few years due to more places being offered.

WHAT DO THE FIGURES SHOW?

The LDRS sent FOIs to all of the county’s grammar schools last September asking them for postcodes of every pupil enrolled at the school for the 2019/20 academic year.

The findings show that of 1,165 pupils attending Pate’s across all years, in Cheltenham, 222 live in a Swindon postcode – meaning nearly one in five students are from the Wiltshere town 36 miles away.

Pate’s has been approached for comment.

Three pupils enrolled from Newcastle postcodes, and now live in Gloucestershire, to Stroud High and The Crypt School, in Gloucester.

The number of non-Gloucestershire pupils attending has also increased year-on-year, with 382 in 2016, 538 in 2017, 628 in 2018 and 751 in 2019.

The school with the most Gloucestershire-based pupils enrolled last September was The Crypt.

‘WE DO WANT LOCAL PUPILS’

Mr McShane said: “We are mindful that we want students from the local area to attend the school.

“We currently work with eight local primary schools delivering science, music and language lessons, including a Festival of Learning hosted at the school.

“We also continue to work on supporting applications by students from our most socially disadvantaged communities.

“Both of these issues remain a priority for the school and I am pleased we are proactively taking steps forward”