​

Transfer to secondary school in September 2024

Achieving for Children School Admissions Team

National coordinated admissions and Pan London

​

​

​

​

• Admission into secondary school is coordinated nationally across England, with a common deadline and national offer day.
• All 33 London boroughs, and 5 surrounding local authorities co-ordinate the processing of admissions with the aim of making a single offer per child wherever possible.

​

Timeline for on-time applications for 2022 entry

​

• Applications opened on Friday 1 September 2023
• Richmond Secondary schools hold open events in September and October. Information for all schools is available on the Richmond Council website and in the secondary admissions brochure. Check the school website in case you have to book a place.
• Secondary applications close on Tuesday 31 October 2023
• Secondary national offer day is Friday 1 March 2024

​

​

​

Making an application

• Research the schools and how places were allocated in previous years.
• Apply online at eadmissions.org.uk if you are a Richmond resident. If you have any difficulties, contact the School Admissions team for support
• Name up to six schools in preference order, including in borough and out borough schools.
• Submit your application and any supplementary forms before Tuesday 31 October 2023.

Benefits of applying online using eAdmissions

• 99% of applicants applied online last year.
• You can apply using a PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone.
• The application process is secure, with clear prompts at each stage to guide applicants.
• You can scan and attach supporting documentation - no postage required.
• You will receive confirmation that your application has been successfully submitted, and you can view it at any time.
• You will receive an email with the outcome during the evening of Friday 1 March 2024.
• You will be able to accept or decline your offer online.

​

Preferences

• Parental right to name a preference for a school does not mean that a you have a right to choose a school, but we will meet parental preference as far as possible if spaces are available.

​

• Please don’t assume that you are entitled to a place at a preferred school, or the school nearest to the home address.

​

• All preferences are processed in accordance with the equal preference scheme.

​

Places are allocated under the equal preference scheme

• Each school has a published admission number - the number of children who will be admitted into the year group.
• All applications are ranked in oversubscription order for each school on the application.
• If your child has a provisional place at more than one school, the offer will be made at the highest preferred school.
• Iterative process - as children are removed from lower preference lists the system re-allocates that place to the next eligible child until a steady state is reached.

Order of preference

• List the schools you wish to apply to in the order you prefer them.
• Each school will consider your application against their admissions criteria only and not the order you place them on your form.
• Individual preference information is not shared with schools.
• If you want a selective school option you need to consider the order of preference carefully.

​

Deciding on the order of preference - example of possible outcome

​

​

Oversubscription criteria

• All schools must publish the oversubscription criteria which will be used to prioritise children where there are more applications than places available.
• Applied to all applications when a school is oversubscribed.
• The School Admissions team and schools must allocate in this order only - they have no discretion to consider any other information e.g. childcare arrangements, place of work
• Familiarise yourself with the oversubscription for your preferred schools and what priority your child will have for the school if it is oversubscribed.

Common oversubscription criteria

• Looked after and previously looked after children.
• Sibling link - brother or sister attending the preferred school at the time of admission.
• Child of a qualifying member of staff.
• Exceptional social or medical need why only one school is suitable. No priority is given for preference for a single sex school.
• Proximity to school.
• Faith-based priority requiring a supplementary information form.

Make sure you provide all the necessary supporting information if you intend to apply for priority under a higher criterion. Further information is available in the guide.

Supplementary forms

• Christ’s and St Richard Reynolds require you to complete a supplementary information form in addition to the common application form if you wish to apply for priority under faith grounds. Return this form directly to the school.
• Check whether any of your preferred schools in other boroughs require a supplementary form.
• The closing date for all forms is Tuesday 31 October 2023

​

​

​

​

​

Children educated out of of year group

For example, summer born children who delayed entry into Reception until 2017.

If your child is currently being educated outside of their chronological year group, there is no automatic right to continue to educate out of year on transfer to secondary school. Parents must contact their preferred schools to request permission to apply for a Year 7 place in September 2024.

National Offer Day 1 March 2024 (on-time applications)

• Offer will be sent to you via email during the evening after 5pm. 93.6% of applicants were allocated a preferred school in 2023.
• Respond to your offer via eAdmissions by 15 March 2024.
• If the offer is not your preferred school, accept the offer until a higher offer can be made to ensure your child has a school place in September. Guidance will be provided on next steps.
• Some children may receive an offer for an alternative school, and others may not be offered a place at all initially.
• Remember - National Offer Day is only the start of the allocation process. There is a lot of movement from waiting lists before September

Waiting lists

• Your child will automatically be added to the waiting list for any higher preferred schools.
• Waiting lists must be held in oversubscription criteria and re-ranked when a new application is received.
• Be prepared for waiting list positions to go down as well as up.
• Waiting lists will be maintained until the end of the June 2025 when they will disbanded. You will need to request for your child to join the list for the following academic year.

• Further offers

​

• We will start to make further offers from the waiting lists from Tuesday 2 April 2024 after all parental responses have been received and processed, and late applications have been added to the waiting lists.

​

• Further offers will continue until the middle of September as places become available.

​

​

​

​

Appeals

• You have a legal right of appeal against the refusal to be given a place at any of your preferred schools.
• Appeals are heard by an independent panel not connected to either the school or the local authority.
• The panel will balance your case for wanting your child to attend the school against the school’s argument that they are full. You will need to present a strong case why your child has to attend that particular school.

​

​

​

​

​

Gathering information

• Read the Admission to Richmond’s Secondary Schools guide available to download on the Richmond Council website. This provides information about each stage of the application process and your responsibilities as the applicant.
• Familiarise yourself with the oversubscription criteria for your preferred schools. These are summarised in the Richmond’s schools brochure available on the Richmond Council website, but always read the full version on the school’s website.
• Look at the pattern of admissions from previous years and be informed about the likelihood of being offered a place.
• Talk to your primary headteacher.

​

​

​

​

​

Other resources

• Richmond Council website - www.richmond.gov.uk
• Compare schools - www.gov.uk/school-performance-tables
• Ofsted reports - www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted
• School admissions team - richmond.admissions@achievingforchildren.org.uk

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

FINALLY… SOME DOs and DON’Ts

DO read the brochure and visit the schools.

DO apply on time and provide all the requested documentation to make sure the appropriate priority is applied to your application.

DO familiarise with the school’s oversubscription criteria and how places were allocated in the past - be realistic about the chances of your child getting a place at the school.

DON’T hesitate to contact the School Admissions team if you need support making your application.

DON’T contact your MP or councillor if you do not get allocated a place at your preferred school. They have no authority to change the decision. Only the appeal panel can require a school to admit a child if they are full.

​

If you need help with your application, contact the School Admissions team at

​

richmond.admissions@achievingforchildren.org.uk