Choosing A Secondary School?
Parents can find out more about local secondary schools at series of open days
Parents whose children will be starting secondary school next September can visit local schools and see what they offer at a series of open days that will get underway next week.
All 11 of the borough’s secondary schools will be opening their doors to prospective parents over the coming weeks. This will give parents the chance to visit, see the facilities, speak to teaching staff and get a feel for which school best suits their child. Open days will now be held between September 10 and October 16
These open days are important because even though the 2019 academic year has only just begun - preparations are now well underway for the September 2020 intake, with a deadline of Thursday, October 31 for parents to submit their choices.
They will be held at various dates and times at Ark Putney Academy, Bolingbroke Academy, Burntwood School, Ernest Bevin College, Graveney School, Harris Academy Battersea, Southfields Academy, Ashcroft Technology Academy, Chestnut Grove Academy, Saint Cecilia’s CofE School and Saint John Bosco College. Sessions are being held both during the day and in the evenings.
Full details of all the dates and times of these introductory sessions for parents are available on the council’s website.
Parents who want a place at a secondary school must submit their completed application forms by the October 31 deadline. Parents of children living in the borough must apply online or submit their application to Wandsworth Town Hall by this date. Those living elsewhere must apply to their home borough by the same date.
This key deadline applies to parents and carers of children who are currently in Year Six at primary school and were born between September 1, 2008 and August 31, 2009.
Parents can find out more about these 11 state-funded secondary schools and detailed information on how to apply for a place by reading the council’s 'Choose a Wandsworth Secondary School' brochure. This is also where parents and carers can make an online application.
Copies of the brochure can also be obtained by emailing admissions@wandsworth.gov.uk or by telephoning (020) 8871 7316. Staff on that number can also help with any other queries parents and carers may have.
Parents who submit their school choices by the October 31 deadline will be told the outcome of their applications at the beginning of March next year.
Cabinet member for education Cllr Will Sweet said: “Wandsworth has some of the capital’s best performing and highest achieving schools, with many officially rated as outstanding, so there are some really excellent schools for parents to consider
“To help parents choose the right school we have produced a really useful brochure that contains lots of helpful information about each one and also provides a step-by-step guide to the applications process.
"Parents need to list the schools they would like their child to attend, in order of preference. The London-wide admissions system is designed to allocate them a place at their highest ranked school of choice, as long as they meet the published admissions criteria.
“They can list up to six schools in any part of London on their application but it is always recommended to include at least one that is close to where they live.”
People who apply online, using the secure and confidential pan-London e-admissions website, will receive helpful tips and prompts as they go through the process.
Applications can be edited and amended as often as parents choose right up to the deadline and each time it is completed parents will receive an email notification confirming the application has been properly received and registered.
September 5, 2019