Nearly 270 children from outside Kent are likely to be taking up places at the county’s 33 grammar schools this year, official figures reveal.

In total, 268 places have been offered to pupils from other areas, representing about one in 15 of all available places at the county’s 33 selective schools.

Competition for places from outside the county has been most acute in north Kent, where the four grammar schools in Dartford accounted for 189 of the number of offers to non-Kent children - close to a third that were available.

County education chiefs are concerned grammar schools in some areas are coming under increasing demand for places from families who live in neighbouring boroughs, particularly those close to London.

KCC is now considering re-distributing places from under-subscribed grammars in east Kent to those where demand is highest - a move that under current legislation, would see places permanently lost at those schools where admission numbers would drop.

Admission rules prevent education authorities refusing offers to children from outside the area, so long as they are in the catchment area.

Our graphic below shows the schools most affected...

But the number overall going to non-Kent pupils has fallen this year compared to last, with more than half of Kent’s grammar offering no places at all to pupils from outside the county, compared with 12 in 2008.

Cllr Mark Dance, KCC cabinet member for schools, said he was examining ways to free up more places at under-pressure grammars by re-distributing places at under-subscribed schools in east Kent, where demand has decreased because of falling rolls.

He acknowledged that would prove unpopular in east Kent but said: "If there are falling rolls in one part, then there is an argument for increasing them in west and north Kent because of the cross-border applications.

He added: "We are going to have falling rolls across Kent over the next four years and know we have got to resolve this. The problem for us is grammar schools that have become super-selective which is attracting even more out-of-county applications."