Admissions process for entry into Reception, Year 3 Junior transfer and Year 7 Secondary transfer - September 2018

Secondary Transfers – September 2018 entry

The coordinated admissions process, for entry into Year 7 in September 2018, is now underway. Parents can apply for secondary school places online using the Warwickshire Parent Portal: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/admissions

Parents must only submit one application and this needs to be through their home authority, naming all of the schools they are interested in applying for on that one application. This includes any grammar school choices they may be interested in and schools across other counties, but does not include schools in the independent sector. If a parent wishes to enquire, and/or apply, for a private school then they are advised to contact that school for further information about their independent admissions process.

The national closing date for secondary school applications to be submitted is Tuesday 31 October 2017 (5pm). Applications made after this date may be classed as late and will not then be considered for places until after national offer day – 01 March 2018. We would therefore encourage all primary and junior schools within the county to reiterate this deadline to families, and assist parents with completing their application for a secondary school place, if it is felt that this may be required in certain cases.

Starting school in Reception and Year 3 Junior Transfers – September 2018 entry

The coordinated admissions process, for those due to start school in Reception, or those transferring to Year 3 as part of the coordinated scheme, is due to commence in September 2017. Again, parents will be able to apply for school places online (from September) using the Warwickshire Parent Portal: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/admissions

However, the Junior transfer process will only be applicable to those children who currently attend a Warwickshire Infant school. Children who attend a Primary school will not be eligible to apply for a Junior school place as part of the coordinated admissions scheme as Year 3 is not a normal point of entry for Primary schools. Further information about this process can be found in the Warwickshire County Council Admission Arrangements for 2018 entry, accessible on our website at: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/admissions

Parents must only submit one application per child and this needs to be done through their home authority, naming all of the schools they are interested in applying for on that one application. This includes any schools which they may wish to apply for across other counties, but does not include schools in the independent sector. If a parent wishes to enquire, and/or apply, for a private school then they are advised to contact that school for further information about their independent admissions process.

The national closing date for school applications for entry into Reception and Year 3 transfers to be submitted is Monday 15 January 2018 (5pm). Applications made after this date may be classed as late and will not then be considered for places until after national offer day – 16 April 2018. We would therefore encourage all infant schools, nurseries and other pre-school childcare providers within the county to reiterate this deadline to families, and assist parents with completing their application for a school place, if it is felt that this may be required in certain cases.

Deferred Entry Requests

Where a child has requested deferred entry for September 2018 (ie: those who were chronologically due to start school in September 2017), and this request has been approved by both the Local Authority and the schools concerned through the formal deferment request process, families have been advised that they must follow the admissions process in relation to the coordinated scheme for Reception entry in September 2018.

From September, schools may also begin to receive deferment requests from families where the child is chronologically due to start school in Reception in September 2018. Please refer these families to the guidance available on our website, where a copy of the formal deferment request form can also be found: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/startingschool

The deadline for families to submit their deferment request form, in order for their request to be considered in line with the coordinated scheme, is 01 December 2017.

General Information

Parents should be aware that different authorities offer a different maximum number of choices which can be named on the application for a school place. Warwickshire residents can name up to six school choices on their application, but they do not have to use all 6 if they do not wish to apply for that many schools. However, we would advise naming more than just one choice, and would also recommend that families name their catchment school as one of their choices as if they do not, and none of their other school choices can be offered, then there is no guarantee that they will then be offered their closest/catchment school.

Different deadlines apply where a family is moving house. These are detailed in the admissions process timetable below. Families should be aware that documentary evidence of any new address must be submitted to the Admissions Service by the relevant deadlines. We would also strongly advise that parents consult the admission arrangements for the schools they are interested in applying for, as individual schools may have additional arrangements relating to house moves. This will also be the case for some schools who require additional information to support an application, for example, schools who allocate oversubscription criteria based on faith.

Further information about the 2018 entry admission arrangements for individual schools can be found on the following website: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/schoollacriteria

Timetable and Important Dates