Transfer to Secondary School

1. Transfer to Secondary School https://beta.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/school-admissions/secondary-and-upper-schools/secondary-and-upper-school-places.asp

2. Warning • Secondary transfer can be dangerous to your health! • No guarantees! • System is far from perfect! • Process is fraught with difficulty! • In some cases… unhappy endings!

3. Warning Don’t shoot the messengers!

4. How do I decide which schools to apply to? Consider which criteria applies to you! Be realistic! Read the admission criteria carefully! Consider which is your nearest school! Find out how many children were offered places in the past! Visit the school with your child!

5. Last Year "Be realistic about your chances of getting a particular school. You can list up to 4 schools in order of preference. We call these your "ranked" schools. Last year, 641 children were allocated secondary schools they didn't rank.Of those, 79% didn't list their nearest school and 71 children only listed 1 school." Karen, Hertfordshire admissions officer

6. Be realistic • Last year 641 (646) children were allocated secondary schools they did not rank. • 79% (66%) of these children did not rank their nearest school. • 71 (67) of these children only listed one school on their secondary transfer form. () =2014/15 data

7. Key dates

8. Key dates

9. How it works a message from the Herts County Admissions team • School admissions are coordinated by local authorities to ensure that children across the country are offered a single school place on the same day. • All applications are considered at the same time. Admission rules are applied equally, regardless of how you ordered (ranked) the schools on your form. • We will only use your order of preference (rank) if it's possible to offer your child a place at more than one of your preferred schools. If this is the case, we'll offer you a place at the highest ranked school possible. • The allocation process is automated for all community schools. Officers aren't involved and don't influence decisions. • Schools and academies responsible for their own admissions provide us with a list of pupils they will offer places to. • We offer all places on behalf of all schools in Hertfordshire.

10. Application • 99% of parents applied online • Instant confirmation of application • School offer e mailed before letter sent • Accept offer online • Any online or paper application received after the statutory deadline, 31 October 2016, will be treated as a late application. Late applications are not dealt with until all on time applications have been considered.

11. How do I decide which schools to apply to? Things change every year! Do not base decision on experiences of others! Use all 4 options! Beware of pupil power! Beware of school gate gossip! Beware of school transport issues!

12. The Admission Rules • Children looked after and children who were looked after (adoption, special guardianship) • Children with a particular medical or social need. • Children who have a sibling at the school at the time of application, unless they are in the last year of the normal age range of the school/academy. 2015/16 105 applications – 17 successful

13. The Admission Rules (contd) • In the priority area and for whom it is the nearest maintained/non-faith co-education school/academy. • In the priority area who live nearest to the school/academy. • Children living outside the priority area on the basis of distance, with those living nearest to the school given priority.

14. The Priority Areas

15. Home to School Distance All home – school distances for admission allocation purposes, to community and voluntary controlled schools will be measured by straight line distance, using a computerised mapping system to 2 decimal places. The measurement is taken from the AddressBase Premium address point of your child’s house to the address point of the school. . This does not take into account your child’s actual route

16. Which address to use • It is very important that the address you give on your child’s application is your child’s permanent address at the time of application. If you are thinking of moving you must use the address where your child is living when you apply. If you move after submitting your application you must write to the admissions and transport team with proof of your new address which can be: • A letter from your solicitor confirming your completion date took place on or before 4 December 2016 • Or • A signed rental agreement of at least 12 months showing the start of your tenancy on or before 4 December 2016 • and in addition • Proof that you and your child are resident at the new address.

17. South West Consortium Schools: • Bushey Meads • Parmiters • Queens' • Rickmansworth • St Clement Danes • Watford Grammar School for Boys • Watford Grammar School for Girls

18. Watford School Examples WBGS Westfield

19. WBGS Westfield

20. WBGS Westfield

21. Advice Look around each school with your child Let your child have a say in where they go Be realistic Apply for 4 schools in ranked order

22. Selecting Schools 1 Advice: ‘Do not do this!’

23. Selecting Schools 2 Advice: ‘Do not do this!’

24. Selecting Schools 3 Advice: ‘Do this!’

25. https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/actweb/education/admissions/startpage.cfmhttps://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/actweb/education/admissions/startpage.cfm

26. Meet the deadlines 31st October (Online and paper) Interpretation service available 0300 123 4043