Secondary school transfer FAQs - 2013
When will I know the outcome of my secondary school
application?
Why didn’t
I get the school I wanted?
My child
passed the grammar tests. Why haven’t we been offered a grammar
school?
Why has my child
been given a place at a school I didn’t name on my form?
My child did
not get the school I wanted. Can we join a waiting
list?
How does the Waiting List
work?
When will I hear if I’ve
been offered a place through the waiting list?
I have been offered
my first preference but I really want my second preference now. Can
I change my mind?
When will the school I
have been offered write to me?
How do I appeal for a school
place?
If I accept the place offered
will it prejudice any appeal I might make?
What should I put in my
appeal?
My situation is complicated
– where can I get further advice?
Will my child get free
transport to a church school or a grammar school?
Will I get transport to
the secondary school named in my letter?
If I want to turn down the
place I have been offered what do I need to do?
I want to accept the offer of
a place that I have been given. What do I need to do?
I’ve moved house and the
school my childhas been offered is miles away. What should I
do?
Can I apply for a
place at a school I did not name on my application form? What
should I do?
If I’m offered a place from a
school’s waiting list what should I do?
I'm moving to Kent
shortly. How do I apply for a secondary school place?
When will I know the outcome of my secondary school
application?
On Friday 1 March 2013, we will send you a letter by first class
post confirming the outcome of your child's secondary school
application. If you applied online and gave a valid email
address you will also be sent an e-mail after 4pm on Friday 1
March.
Some messages may take longer than others to arrive. Once an
email has left our servers, we have no control over when it
will be delivered to your mailbox, as this is determined by your
email supplier.
Why didn’t I get the school I wanted?
Probably because the school you wanted had too many applications
to offer everyone a place. When this happens a school uses its
oversubscription criteria to put pupils in priority order for
admission and works down the list. If your child did not get a
place it will be because other children had higher priority for
admission to that school.
My child passed the grammar tests. Why haven’t we been offered
a grammar school?
Either:
- because your preferred grammar school was oversubscribed and
other children had higher priority for admission under the school’s
oversubscription criteria or
- because you’ve been offered a school you named higher on your
form.
Why has my child been given a place at a school I didn’t name
on my form?
Because all the schools that you named on your form had more
applications than the number of places available and other pupils
had higher priority than your child when ranked against the
school’s oversubscription criteria. We will only offer a school you
didn’t name if we can’t offer you any of the schools on your form.
The School Admissions Code says that we must then offer a place at
another school.
My child did not get the school I wanted. Can we join a
waiting list?
If you applied for a school and were not offered a place there,
your child can join the waiting list if you complete the Waiting
List Form enclosed with your letter of 1 March and return it to us
by 19 March. (Children can only go on the waiting list for a
grammar school if they have passed the entry test.)
How does the waiting list work?
Pupils are ranked on the list according to the schools’
oversubscription criteria. Should places become available,
they will be allocated to the children highest on the waiting
list. Offers will be made on 17 April and then as vacancies
arise.
When will I hear if I’ve been offered a place through the
waiting list?
The first reallocation of places will take place on 17 April and
if we can offer a place you will receive a letter in the next few
days. After 17 April, schools will offer places as they arise
and will contact you direct if a place can be offered.
I have been offered my first preference but I really want my
second preference now. Can I change my mind?
You can put your child’s name on the waiting list for a second
(or lower) preference, though if this was a grammar school your
child must have passed the entry test. You can also make an appeal to the Independent Appeal Panel
for admission to any school you applied for but were not
offered.
When will the school I have been offered write to me?
Schools have agreed to send out welcome letters from 6
March.
How do I appeal for a school place?
You can appeal by printing and completing the
Secondary School Appeal Form , if you are unable to print the
form and would like us to send you a copy, please email kent.admissions@kent.gov.uk
or telephone 0300 333 6472. You can appeal for more than one
school, but you will need a separate form for each appeal.
You should send your completed appeal form to the school you’re
appealing for by 16 April 2013.
If I accept the place offered will it prejudice any appeal I
might make?
No , but it will help make sure that your child is not left
without a place for September if your appeal does not succeed.
What should I put in my appeal?
You should explain clearly the reasons why you wish your child
to attend your preferred school. See our
guide for parents for further help.
My situation is complicated – where can I get further
advice?
You can get advice from the Secondary Admissions Team on 0300
333 6472 or e mail kent.admissions@kent.gov.uk.
Will my child get free transport to a church school or a
grammar school?
If there are other secondary schools closer to where you live we
no longer provide discretionary transport to grammar schools or
church schools (also known as faith schools or denominational
schools). If you have an older child who is entitled to transport,
it will continue providing their circumstances do not change (eg:
they do not move house or change school). Younger siblings starting
school in September 2013 will not be eligible for free transport to
the same school if there are other secondary schools closer to
home.
There are exceptions for children from some low income families
or in the care of Kent County Council.
Will I get transport to the secondary school named in my
letter?
To be eligible for home to school transport you must
- attend your “nearest appropriate school for transport purposes”
and
- live more than 3 miles from your secondary school using the
shortest available walking route.
The “nearest appropriate school for transport purposes” is the
nearest geographical school that is appropriate to your child’s age
and ability. Age appropriate means whether it is primary or
secondary school and ability appropriate means whether it is a
mainstream or special school. Special schools admit children with a
Statement of Special Educational Need.
Further details can be found on pages 25 -33 of the
booklet Admission
to Secondary School in Kent 2013 (PDF, 3.7Mb) and you can
also get advice from the Transport Team on 0300 333 6472.
If I want to turn down the place I have been offered what do I
need to do?
You will need to let the school you have been offered know by 21
March. You can do this by completing and returning the
acceptance/refusal form included with your offer letter.
I want to accept the offer of a place that I have been given.
What do I need to do?
You will need to let the school you have been offered know by 21
March. You can do this by completing and returning the
acceptance/refusal form included with your offer letter.
I’ve moved house and the school my childhas been offered is
miles away. What should I do?
Contact the Admissions & Transport team for advice on 0300
333 6472.
Can I apply for a place at a school I did not name on my
application form? What should I do?
From 17 April, if you live in Kent and are not happy with the
school you have been offered, you can apply for a place at
another Kent secondary school (not named on your original
application form) by completing an
extended preference form (PDF, 11k) and sending it direct
to the school. If you are unable to print the
form and would like us to send you a copy, please email
kent.admissions@kent.gov.uk
or telephone 0300 333 6472. If your child does not get a place at
that school you will have the right of
appeal and you can ask for your child’s name to be placed on
the waiting list.
If you do not live in Kent you should contact your local
authority about making further school applications.
If I’m offered a place from a school’s waiting list what should
I do?
You must let the school know promptly whether you wish to accept
the place you have been offered. If you don’t, the offer may
be withdrawn so that the place can be offered to another child.
I'm moving to Kent shortly. How do I apply for a
secondary school place?
If you move to Kent after 17 April you should complete a
Late Secondary Application Form (PDF, 32k) and send it to:
The Admissions & Transport Team, Sessions House, County Hall,
Maidstone ME14 1XQ. If you are unable to print the form and
would like us to send you a copy please email kent.admissions@kent.gov.uk
or telephone 0300 333 6472. If your child does not get a place you
will have the right of appeal and you can ask for your child’s name
to be placed on the school’s waiting list.