SCHOOL ADMISSION

CHOOSING A SCHOOL

​In the state sector there are strict timelines you must be aware of - for secondary schools you must have your Common Application Form (CAF) with the Local Authority by 31st October the year before you want your child to start school.  There may be a Supplementary Form which you will get from and return to the school itself - this is particularly common in Church Schools and some Academies. For Grammar Schools the process starts even earlier with you needing to register your interest in having your child enter the 11+ towards the end of Year 5 (June / July). All families receive their secondary school allocation on 1st March in the year they are starting high school. 

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The timetable for primary schools is slightly different but follows the same strict rules.  You need to have your Common Application Form with the Local Authority by 15th January and you will receive your allocation on16th April.

Every school has a set of oversubscription criteria they will use if there are more applications than they have places. A statutory School Appeals Code determines what are lawful and unlawful criteria and commonly schools use criteria based upon distance, sibling links, children of staff, religious commitment (in the case of Church schools) and sometimes feeder schools.  Having a sibling at the school might not guarantee you a place if all the places have been allocated to children who live closer to the school and different schools use different methods for measuring distance - some use quickest safe walking route, some straight line distance.  You can check with your school / Local Authority exactly what criteria they use before making your application. This will help you make the best use of your preferences but you may wish to name a school you have no realistic chance of getting as this will allow you to Appeal later in the process (you can only appeal to a school you have applied to).

Private schools have more flexible timetables but often fill places well in advance of children actually starting and there is a much less meaningful appeal process.  

Our in-depth knowledge of the UK education system allows us to provide independent advice about state and fee paying schools, including boarding schools.

Whatever type of education you are considering we can provide you with the highest quality support to allow you to make the most secure educational decisions possible.

We are increasingly asked to provide an objective assessment of the likelihood of securing a place at a given school to help parents make sure they use their preferences as effectively as possible. We are happy to produce a report for you that will provide you with information to help you make an objective choice.