Starting Secondary School Your guide to secondary schools in Newham Year 7 admissions in September 2021. Information relating to Pan London co-ordination and In Year admissions 2020/2021 Autumn 2020 Edition Closing date for applications @NewhamLondon 31 October www.newham.gov.uk/schooladmissions 2020 A summary of the steps you need to take to apply for a place in Year 7, starting in September 2021. This applies to children born 1 September 2009 to 31 August 2010. REMEMBER – your chances of getting the school of your preference are better if you apply by Saturday 31 October 2020. Understand what you need to do to apply for a secondary school place. 1 You can do this by reading through this booklet. Take time to find out about all the schools located in Newham. You can do this by attending as many open days/evenings as you can and by viewing their websites. Don’t just focus on the schools 2 you know about or Ofsted reports and league tables as these can be out of date. Read and understand how places are offered at the schools you are interested in. You do this by reading their admissions criteria and reviewing the placements for September 2020 which are published in this booklet. 3 This will help you understand the likelihood of your child being offered a place. Decide which schools you are going to name as your preferences remembering you can name six. Don’t forget to check that you know their location so you know where your child will be travelling to each day and the cost of the journey. You can use the School Finder (page number 4) to 4 establish your exact home to schools distances. Submit your online application via eadmissions.org.uk by Saturday 31 October 2020 no later than 11.59pm. You may wish to apply earlier to avoid the risk of technical issues close to the deadline. If you apply using the paper Common Application Form (CAF) you will need to: 5 • post the form to Pupil Services, PO Box 69972, London E16 9DG. It must arrive no later than Friday 30 October 2020. See page 76 for information about applying online. If you are naming a faith school (voluntary aided) as any of your preferences and want to be considered under the faith based criterion you must complete and submit their Supplementary Information Form (SIF). 6 For Newham Catholic schools your SIF must be received by the school no later than Friday 30 October 2020. If the school you prefer is outside Newham you must check the closing dates. If you are applying for a school outside of Newham you must submit your proof of address to 7 Pupil Services, PO Box 69972, London E16 9DG by Saturday 31 October 2020. See page 67 Monday 1 March 2021 National Offer Day • If you applied online via eadmissions.org.uk you will receive an email notification of the school place you have been offered in the evening. 8 • If you applied using the Common Application Form (CAF) your offer for a school will be sent to you via first class post. 2 Starting secondary school Apply online – it’s quick, safe and secure child can flourish. We have an array of fantastic schools in the Welcome from the Mayor borough, rated either good or outstanding by Government of Newham inspectors Ofsted, all dedicated to supporting our young people to pursue their ambitions and reach their potential. It’s also why I Dear Parent or Carer, am so proud of the excellent GCSE results that our young people continue to achieve in the borough. I hope you and your family are well during what has been a Solid foundations at secondary school are really important challenging time for us all in Newham due to the Covid-19 in helping our young people progress and succeed in the next pandemic and public health emergency. stage of their life journey, whether that be education, training, So while I welcome you in this year’s edition of the Newham’s employment or even setting up a business! Starting Secondary School Guide, I know that many parents are I am absolutely dedicated to ensuring your child, and all of concerned about what the start of the new term means for the our children, have access to the very best educational and youth health and well-being of your child now that the government has provision in the country. That’s why I’ve made sure that under my said that all pupils have to return to school from September. administration, we’ve invested in education and youth services so To reassure you, we are taking the health and safety of all our that all our children grow up happy, healthy and with excellent young people very seriously in light of the Covid-19 public health personal, social, emotional and psychological skills to help them emergency. Throughout the pandemic we have worked very navigate adulthood with confidence. It’s all part of our agenda to closely with schools and offered advice and guidance from the make Newham the best place in the world for a child and young Public Health team, including expert advice on risk assessments person to live, realise their potential, feel safe, and are valued in schools. Our work with partners has included the provision members of our community – able to influence decisions being of support for the mental health and wellbeing of our young made about the future of our borough. I want to ensure that all people and training on how to help young people who may have of them have bright futures! suffered bereavement. So to make the process of choosing the best secondary school In the new academic year we are seeking to improve our for your child, and to make it as smooth and easy as possible; this communication with you so that you are clear about what is guide explains what you need to know to apply for a secondary being done to continue to make schools as safe as they can be. school place in the borough. Headteachers have been working on the ‘recovery curriculum’ I would encourage you to visit schools and take the opportunity to ensure that all aspects of your children’s return to school are to meet teaching and support staff, see the school in action, view taken into consideration, including the social and emotional the facilities and hear about the school’s achievements. Also aspects of learning. We need to support our young people in ask them loads of questions! Where a visit isn’t possible due to getting used to new arrangements and ways of working in school current social distancing measures, there may be other ways of finding out more, for example by telephone, online or video. and re-establishing relationships. Don’t forget: make sure you maximise your opportunities Importantly, we have worked with Headteachers to develop by using all 6 of your school preference options. Also it will an approach to attendance management from September, given really help if you would apply online and once you do, you’ll that the government has said that attendance will be compulsory. automatically be entered into our prize draw to win a school I know that this is causing some of you much anxiety and you uniform for your child. want clarity about when fines might be issued, for example. We I want your child to make good progress and receive the high plan to take a staged approach to managing attendance which is quality teaching you rightly expect as their parent or carer. I am predicated on understanding and encouragement, determined on standing with you to ensure your child reaches their full promise a case-by-case basis. and potential. I know that this year has been very different to others as we So, on behalf of all the teachers and governors, we look have all been affected by Covid-19, with schools having been forward to welcoming your child in the coming months to one closed to most pupils for an extended period. For many families of Newham’s secondary schools and supporting them to achieve this has been a really difficult time and each of you will have your their potential. own stories. That’s why I’ve been so impressed with how hard our schools have worked to support children and families, including Best wishes, home learning programmes and regular communication with parents. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to all our schools and teachers during this challenging period. I know that starting secondary school is an important milestone in every child’s life. For me, it opened up a whole new world of learning, friends, amazing teachers and guidance through my teenage years (I was angst ridden!) into young adulthood. I know that if it wasn’t for my empowering teachers at my Newham school I’d not have had the support to build my confidence and Rokhsana Fiaz OBE Mayor of Newham know that all my dreams were possible. That’s why we work hard to produce this guide which will People at the Heart of Everything We Do help you find the right Newham secondary school, where your @rokhsanafiaz Apply by 31 October 2020 Starting secondary school 3 School Finder Routes to Schools Discover how far you live from the schools in your area. Do you need help deciding which school to apply for? The School Finder can help you. You can use the Newham School finder to find: • the six secondary schools closest to your home located in Newham • the home to school distances to any school located in Newham • if your home address is in the Newham Catholic Deanery www.newham.gov.uk/schoolfactfinder 4 Starting secondary school Apply online – it’s quick, safe and secure Contents Directory of secondary schools in Newham 6 Section 1 Secondary education in Newham Page 9 Bobby Moore Academy 10 Brampton Manor Academy 11 Chobham Academy 12 The Cumberland School 13 Eastlea Community School 14 East London Science