Applying for Secondary School HAVE YOU APPLIED FOR YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL PLACE? A step-by-step guide for parents of September 2021 children moving on from primary to secondary school in September 2021 This booklet is for parents of children born between Application checklist 1 September 2009 and 31 August 2010 who will be moving on to secondary school. The application 4 Only apply through Bradford Council process starts in September when your child is in if you live in the Bradford district. year 6. 4 Visit schools before you apply. This booklet provides a summary of how to apply for 4 List five schools, within or outside a secondary school place for September 2021. the Bradford district. Do not include Full details of the admission arrangements for all private schools our schools and academies can be found on the 4 Fill in and return supplementary Bradford Council website www.bradford.gov.uk information forms to schools that require them (see page 2 for details). 4 If applying for medical or social reasons, ensure you do so at the time of application and provide Save time – supporting evidence from relevant apply professionals. 4 Have you moved recently or are 8 about to move? If so, you will need online! to provide evidence (see page 4). 4 Apply by the closing date, It’s quick 31 October 2020. Register your details and….. l 4 Do you need more information? and make your you will receive an email Contact details for the Admissions application confirming receipt of your Team are shown below. application when you apply online It’s available l you can log back on at any time to 4 Have you checked the latest school Seven days a week make changes up to the closing travel policy? For further details date go to https://www.bradford. from 7 September l gov.uk/education-and-skills/ 2020 until the closing you will get an email on 1 March 2021 to tell you which school your travel-assistance/assistance- date on 31 October child has been offered. with-travel-to-home-school-and- 2020 college/ Contacts and further information about applying for a secondary school Admissions Team: Margaret McMillan Tower, Princes Way, Bradford BD1 1NN 01274 439200 [email protected] Department of Children’s Services Apply online by 31 October 2020 www.bradford.gov.uk/admissions 1 HAVE YOU APPLIED FOR YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL PLACE? Different types of schools = different admission rules Some schools may have changed or will be changing their status in the future. If this is a Academies and free schools: concern parents should check the ‘Guide for The majority of Secondary schools in the Bradford district are academies or free schools. These schools are funded Parents’ or with the school. directly by the Department for Education and governors make decisions. Many academies have a priority admission area which can be viewed on the Council website, at the schools or at Margaret McMillan Tower. Community schools: The local authority provides the funding and also makes decisions. All community schools have priority admission areas. Foundation and trust schools: The local authority provides the funding and school governors make decisions. Voluntary-aided schools: The local authority provides the funding and school governors make decisions. All VA schools (except Bingley Grammar) are Catholic or Church of England schools and parents must complete a supplementary form if applying on faith grounds. Random Allocation: Some schools use this as part of their admission policy (see step 3, page 3). Supplementary Information Forms (SIF) and Assessment Dates The following schools require a Supplementary The following schools require a Supplementary Information Form to be filled in and returned to them Information Form to be filled in and returned to them by directly with any supporting evidence required, if you are the closing date, in order for your child to be registered for applying on the basis of Faith:- a ‘Fair Banding’ assessment. l Feversham College l Bradford Girls’ Grammar l Bradford Academy Closing Date for SIF: Friday 30 October 2020 at 4pm l Bradford Forster Academy Assessment Date: Saturday 14 November 2020 at 9.30am l St Bede’s & St Joseph’s Catholic College l Dixons City l Immanuel College l Dixons Kings l The Holy Family Catholic School l Dixons McMillan If you are applying for a school located in another local authority, please read the admissions policy for the school Closing Date for SIF for the above Dixons Academies to see if they require a SIF filling in. Some schools located Monday 21 September 2020 at 3.30pm in other local authorities require children to be registered Assessment Date: Saturday 3 October 2020 for assessments. These include the following: The schools above have an admissions policy that must l Skipton Girls’ High School ensure their pupils come from a wide ability range. All Registration closes on 30 September 2020. applicants must take an assessment to divide them l North Halifax Grammar School into different ability bands. The schools then admit the Registration closed on 1 September 2020. required number from each band based on the spread l Crossley Heath Grammar School of ability of those applying. If your child does not sit the Registration closed on 1 September 2020. assessment, your application will not be considered until l Ermysted’s Grammar School all others who sat the assessment have been. Registration closed on 6 July 2020. 2 www.bradford.gov.uk/admissions Apply online by 31 October 2020 HAVE YOU APPLIED FOR YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL PLACE? Step l If your child is currently in Year 6, but was not born between How do I decide which 1 September 2009 and 31 August 2010, please contact the schools to apply for Admissions Team for a paper application form. You will be 1 ? unable to apply through the online system. l If you are unable to apply online, please contact the Admissions Team for assistance and make an appointment to You should collect as much information as possible about the meet with an officer who will discuss the issues and decide if schools in your area, especially their admission procedures. You a paper form is required. The closing date for all applications can do this by: is 31 October. You should not rely on the post to ensure l visiting the Bradford Council website, your form is received, you may wish to send it recorded www.bradford.gov.uk where you can find: delivery. You should request a receipt if you hand your form in – full details of all schools’ admission arrangements in the personally. ‘Guide for Parents’; l You can apply for any school in the Bradford district or – last year’s allocation figures for each secondary school; outside the district except fee-paying schools. You should find out about the admission arrangements for each school. – ‘School Finder’ - a map giving the details of schools in the l Bradford Authority near to your postcode. Where the child lives with separated parents who both have l shared responsibility you must both agree which address going to secondary school open evenings in September and to use before you make the application and agree on the October and talking to your child about how they feel about preferences. Otherwise this could delay the application each school; process and the Local Authority may decide which address l viewing the school websites or their prospectus for should be used and which school should be allocated. information on what each school can offer; l You must confirm that you have parental responsibility and l contacting the Admissions Team for advice; that the information you have given is accurate. If you give l visit the Ofsted website www.ofsted.gov.uk where you can deliberately false or misleading information or withhold read the latest Ofsted reports. important information that could affect your application, it may result in the place offered being withdrawn. You would then need to apply again, possibly after all allocations have been made, and legal action may be taken. Step l Looked after children or those who were previously looked How do I apply? after but ceased to be because they were adopted or became 2 subject to a child arrangement order or special guardianship order are given priority in every admissions policy. You will need to provide evidence of this to the Admissions Team by Be realistic the closing date, if you are applying for this priority. Many schools are oversubscribed and receive more applications l Some schools give priority to children who have significant than they have places to offer. Even if you live within a Priority medical or social needs which can only be met by a Area, you may not qualify for a place if ‘distance criteria’ is part specific school. If you are applying on these grounds, you of the admissions policy. The number of secondary students must provide written evidence from a hospital consultant or competing for places is increasing every year and the fact that a paediatrician, or a relevant professional for social grounds. neighbour was offered a place before does not mean you can rely The evidence must explain why it is the only school that could on a place being allocated this year. We strongly advise you use meet your child’s needs and why no other schools can. all five preferences and preference all the schools whose Priority Please read each school’s policy as not all schools Area you may be in to maximise your chances of being offered a give priority. locally accessible school l If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) please do not apply through the online system.