Starting Secondary School 2021 2 Map of secondary schools in Waltham Forest Key Academy/Free school Community school Trust school Voluntary Aided school Chingford Foundation School Heathcote School & Science College Highams Park School South Chingford Foundation School Walthamstow Academy Eden Girls’ School Waltham Forest Frederick Bremer School Holy Family Catholic School and Sixth Form B L A C K H O R Willowfield S E R O A D Walthamstow School for Girls School Kelmscott Leytonstone School School Norlington School and 6th Form Connaught School for Girls George Mitchell School Buxton School Lammas School and Sixth Form Digital Map Data © Collins Bartholomew Ltd (2013) © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordanance Survey 100024328 / Aerial Photography Data © The Geoinformation Group (2013) Apply online at www.eadmissions.org.uk [email protected] 3 Introduction If your child is currently in Year 6 at a junior or primary school and lives in Waltham Forest you will need to apply for a secondary school place for them for September 2021. If you live outside Waltham Forest, you will need to apply to the local authority in which you live. If you have any questions, you can contact the School Admissions Service on: 8 www.walthamforest.gov.uk * [email protected] ( 020 8496 3000 Contents Section 1 Page Section 4 Applying for a school place for September 2021 4 Schools in other local authorities 50 Before you make your application 5 Section 5 Timeline for Secondary applications 6 School open evenings 7 How places were allocated on 1 March 2020 51 Completing your application form 8 Cut off distances in miles for past three years 52 Admissions criteria for Waltham Forest community schools 12 Children with Special Educational Needs 53 Automatic Transfer 13 Fair Access Protocol 53 Single Sex Schools 13 Free School Meals 53 Section 2 In-Year Applications 53 Section 6 How we will process your application 14 Section 3 Atypical School Admissions 55 Section 7 Schools in Waltham Forest: Buxton School 16 Definitions 57 Chingford Foundation School 18 Connaught School for Girls 20 Eden Girls’ School, Waltham Forest 22 Frederick Bremer School 24 George Mitchell School 26 Heathcote School & Science College 28 Highams Park School 30 Holy Family Catholic School and Sixth Form 32 Kelmscott School 34 Lammas School and Sixth Form 36 Leytonstone School 38 Norlington School and 6th Form 40 South Chingford Foundation School 42 Walthamstow Academy 44 Walthamstow School for Girls 46 Willowfield School 48 Apply online at www.eadmissions.org.uk [email protected] 4 Application deadline 31 October 2020 Section 1 Applying for a school place for September 2021 Dear Parent or Carer, I’m delighted that you are choosing a Waltham Forest school for your child. We all want the best for our children, so selecting the right secondary school is an important decision. A positive school experience can be transformational. It is our job to make sure all our young people benefit from that positive experience. Waltham Forest Council is committed to ensuring that we provide good quality education for all young people in the borough. As a borough we already benefit from having high performing secondary schools right across the borough, and we are committed to ensuring the highest quality learning experiences for all our children and young people, and that our children and young people will be healthy and safe in all settings. In Waltham Forest, we are passionate that all of our children and young people will: • Be challenged to achieve the very best outcomes and be stimulated to develop their creativity and critical thinking. • Be empowered to continue learning throughout their lives, and in particular be ready for adulthood. • Develop the skills to navigate society, with a strong sense of their emotional wellbeing, and the support available. • Have an understanding of the political, economic and technological developments that will shape their world, characterised by their sense of social and environmental responsibility. • Develop the skills which will enable them to participate, influence and shape their futures, accessing opportunities that will support them to flourish. • Have a strong principled understanding of and opposition to any form of discrimination and inequality. We are committed to partnership working to achieve this working with you – our parents – as well as our young people, schools, colleges, business and partners and providers to ensure that we offer our young people an education that prepares them for the future. I hope this booklet is helpful and makes the application process as easy as possible. We want all children in Waltham Forest to achieve their full potential, to enjoy school and to develop their self-confidence as learners and, ultimately, as active citizens of our borough, who are able to shape and mould their own futures. I hope you will be impressed with the schools you visit and that your child will thrive and be happy at the secondary school they attend. I wish you and your child every success. Councillor Grace Williams Waltham Forest Cabinet Member for Children and Young People How and when to complete your application You can make your application anytime between 1 September 2020 and 31 October 2020 and the best way to apply is online at www. eadmissions.org.uk. Last year, over 93.55% of applications were made online, and 80.43% of those who applied on time received an offer of their first preference school. The process is easy to follow, quick and secure, and enables you to access other education and school websites. It also allows you to amend and check your application at any time – and as many times as you need to – before 31 October 2020. You will also be able to see the result of your application online without having to wait for an offer letter. Whichever way you would like to apply, please make sure you submit your application by 31 October 2020. It is very important that you submit your application by this date, otherwise processing your application will be delayed. Apply online at www.eadmissions.org.uk [email protected] Section 1 5 Before you make your application Collect as much information as you can about your The governing body of schools responsible for their own preferred schools. admissions (academies, voluntary-aided, foundation and free • Look at the map on the inside cover of this booklet to see schools) are ultimately responsible for making this decision for which are your nearest schools applications made to their school. The internal management and organisation of a school, including the placement of pupils in • Visit schools – details of open evenings at Waltham Forest classes, is a matter for the Headteacher and senior leadership of schools are on page 7 individual schools. • Read Ofsted reports at www.ofsted.gov.uk or on the school website There is no guarantee that an application will be accepted. If the application is not accepted this does not constitute a refusal of • Read the prospectus for each school (available from a school place and there is no right to an independent statutory the school) appeal. Similarly, there is no right of appeal for a place in a • Look at the school website specific year group at the school. Many schools are oversubscribed each year, which means they When informing a parent/carer of their decision on the year group receive more applications than they have places to offer. You the child should be admitted to, the LA will set out clearly the need to consider how likely it is that your child will be offered reasons for their decision. a place at your preferred school. If a school is happy to accept an application to educate a child • Read the admissions criteria for each school, as this will out of year group, this is not a guarantee of a place. It just means determine how places will be offered the parent can apply along with all other parents for a school – ­The admissions criteria for Waltham Forest community place in that academic year. It is important to consider what to schools are listed on pages 12–13 do if your application is processed and you do not get offered a – ­The criteria for other schools in Waltham Forest are listed place at your preferred school. Currently no school has to agree on the school pages to educate a child outside of their chronological year group even • See how places were allocated last year using the if it has been agreed at another school. information on page 51 • Look in Section 3 to see how many places each school has How do I find out where schools are? available for September 2021 (Planned Admission Number) • Consider how your child will travel to school You can use the map on the inside front cover of this guide to • Discuss the decision with your child find out where schools are in Waltham Forest. Alternatively you can use www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk • Try not to let others influence your decisions – the right school which allows you to search for schools based on your home for your friend’s child may not be the right school for your child postcode. The process outlined above is not applicable if your child has a statement of SEN or Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan. Which schools can I apply for? Please see page 53 for more information. You can apply for any maintained (non-fee paying) school in England either online or on your home authority’s paper Children being educated outside their application form. normal age group Waltham Forest’s policy is that, in general, children should be educated in their normal age group, with the curriculum differentiated as appropriate, and that they should only be educated out of their normal age group in very limited Please 1.