Secondary School Advice Sessions

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Children starting at a Wandsworth secondary school in September 2012?

The meetings, which are being held at the Wandsworth civic suite, will give parents and carers the chance to ask questions and learn more about all aspects of the secondary school admissions process.

These information and advice sessions are important because preparations for next September’s schools intake are now well underway - even though the 2011 academic year has only just begun.

The meetings will be held on Tuesday, September 13 and Wednesday, September 14, between 7pm and 8.15pm on both evenings. The civic suite is in Wandsworth High Street.

These two advice sessions will be followed by a series of open events between September 15 and October 19 at all the borough’s secondary schools, including the new Bolingbroke Academy free school in Battersea and the borough’s new Catholic secondary St John Bosco College, which has just admitted its first intake of pupils.

These meetings will allow parents to visit the schools, view their facilities, meet teachers and headteachers and enable them to make informed choices about which schools they want to apply to.

Details of the dates and times of the open events being held at each individual secondary school is available at Secondary school admissions - information and dates

The deadline for applications is Monday, October 31st.  Parents of children living in the borough must submit their application to Wandsworth Town Hall or apply online by this date. Those living elsewhere must apply to their home borough by the same date.

This crucial deadline applies to parents and carers of children who were born between 1 September 1, 2000 and August 31, 2001.

To help parents make up their minds and provide more details about how the transfer process works, the council has produced a detailed brochure called 'Choose a Wandsworth Secondary School'.   With information about the borough's 11 state-funded secondary schools and their admissions criteria. It also contains details on other schools within easy travelling distance.

Parents are able to list up to six state schools in any part of the London on the same application form. The brochure and form are being provided to the families of all children who have just started their final year at a Wandsworth primary school.

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. 

The brochure and other helpful information about the application process can also be found at www.wandsworth.gov.uk/admissions. This is the same web address that parents and carers should use if they wish to make their application online.

All parents will be informed of the outcome of their applications at the beginning of March next year.

Executive member for education and children’s services Cllr Kathy Tracey said:
“There are many good secondary schools to choose from in Wandsworth.  This year a new school has been added to the mix. Bolingbroke Academy is a new ‘Free School’ that will open on the site of Battersea’s former Bolingbroke Hospital and is being run by the educational charity ARK Schools. It represents an exciting new choice for parents in that part of the borough.

“Our aim now is to do all we can to help parents make the right choice for their children. That is why we have arranged these two important public meetings, where parents and carers can ask any question that's on their mind.

“It is why we have also produced a very helpful brochure that contains a wealth of information about local schools and offers a step-by-step guide to the applications process.

"In the weeks leading up to October 31 parents should seize the opportunity to visit individual schools. They will be able to speak to staff and form their own opinion of the school’s suitability for their son or daughter. It is also very important that they read the admissions criteria for the schools they are interested in, to get an idea of whether their child is likely to be offered a place.

"The London-wide applications system means that wherever they live, parents can list up to six schools on a single form. These do not all have to be schools in their home borough – but it is always highly advisable to include at least one that is close to home."