• All the school preferences you name on the common application form will be assessed to decide at which schools, if any, your child would qualify for a place.
• Preferences for community and voluntary controlled schools are assessed by the Kirklees local authority, which is the admissions authority for these schools.
• Preferences for voluntary aided Church of England or Catholic schools, free schools, trust schools and academies are assessed by the schools’ governing bodies, which are the admission authorities for these schools.
  
  We will send details of all applications (and any supporting information parents provide) to the school’s governing body. Voluntary aided schools and Batley Grammar School ask that parents also complete the school’s Supplementary Information Form (SIF). The SIF collects information not obtained on the common application form, but which the governing body requires to apply the school’s oversubscription criteria. We will not disclose parents’ order of preference to these schools. The governing body will decide the order of priority in which each application is ranked according to the school’s oversubscription criteria and provide us with a list, which ranks all the applications for that school.
• Supplementary Information Forms (SIFs) for primary schools
• Preferences for schools in other local authorities are assessed by the admission authorities for these schools. We will send details of all applications (with any supporting information parents provide) to the maintaining local authority for the school. The maintaining local authority will tell us which children qualify for a place at the school.
• If your child qualifies for a place at only one school, we will offer you a place at that school.
• If your child qualifies for a place at more than one school, we will offer you a place at the one school where your child qualifies which you have ranked highest.
• If your child does not qualify for a place at any of your preferred schools and you live in Kirklees, we will offer you a place at your catchment school, if places are available, or the next nearest available school.
• We will post out your offer letter, second-class, on the published offer date. This is 20 April 2012 for children transferring to junior or middle school or starting Reception. Please note that this is not the date you will receive your offer letter.
• If you apply online you can choose to receive an email offer on the offer date and you will also be able to view your offer online on this date. Online applicants will also receive an offer letter.
  • Apply online for a school place
  Please note you will need to be using Internet Explorer 7, or later, or an alternative browser for the form to work at this time.
• After the offer date children are automatically placed on waiting lists for any higher preference Kirklees schools where they have been refused a place. Other local authorities may have different waiting list procedures.
• If you have been unsuccessful you may also lodge an appeal to try to secure a place at your preferred school.

• Apply online for a school place

Child's details (Section 1 on the paper application form)

• Please complete your child's personal details and information about your child's current school by filling in all the boxes in this section of the form. Please make sure you give us your child's full legal name as shown on their birth certificate.
• Remember! The allocation of a school place is based on your child's permanent address and not on the school your child currently attends. A child is normally regarded as living with a parent or carer. You will need proof of any other situation. You cannot lodge a child with a friend or relative to gain a place at a school.

Parent or carer details (Section 2 on the paper application form)

• Please complete your personal details by filling in the boxes in this section of the form. Please give us at least one contact telephone number in case we have any queries about your application.

Siblings (Section 3 on the paper application form)

• Please give us details of your child's siblings, including the name of the school they will be attending in September 2012.

School preferences (Section 4 on the paper application form)

• This is a very important section of the form. You should name up to three schools in order of preference, putting the school you most prefer first. It is important that you put the schools in order of preference. If your child qualifies for a place at more than one of the schools you name, you will be offered a place at the one school which is your highest preference.
• You may name any school in Kirklees or any other local authority (such as Bradford, Calderdale, Leeds) but not private schools.
• Please look carefully at the admission criteria for each school when you make your preferences and be realistic in your choice of school. For example, your chances of obtaining a place at a school a long way away from where you live may well be less than at a school nearer your home.
• We strongly advise you to name second and third preference schools in case a place is not available at your first preference school. Naming only one school or naming the same school more than once does not increase your chances of gaining a place at the school.
• We recommend that you make your catchment (priority admission) school one of your preferences. If you do not, please be aware that a place may not be available at your catchment school if you do not qualify for a place at any of your preferences.
  • Find a school and your priority admission (catchment) area
• For applications to voluntary aided Church of England or Catholic schools you must make the school one of your preferences on the common application form or online application, and you should also complete the relevant Supplementary Information Form (SIF). SIFs should be returned to the school itself.
  • Apply online for a school place
  Please note you will need to be using Internet Explorer 7, or later, or an alternative browser for the form to work at this time.
  • Supplementary Information Forms (SIFs) for primary schools
• Remember - if you do not name a school on the common application form, your child cannot be considered for a place at that school.

Additional information (Section 5 on the paper application form)

• If your child has a statement of special educational needs or is in public care (a looked after child), please ensure that you show this on the form.
• If you wish, you may state reasons for one or more of your school preferences. The admission policies of the various admission authorities may not allow them to take account of your reasons. However, if you ever wish to appeal for a place at a school it may help your case to have mentioned reasons for your preference on your application.
• Please attach any evidence of your stated reasons securely to the form. Don't forget to keep a copy of the evidence for yourself.

Declaration (Section 6 on the paper application form)

• If you fill in the SCAF on paper, you must sign and date the form to confirm that you have parental responsibility for the child and the information you have provided is correct.
• If you apply online you must tick to confirm that you have read the declaration before submitting your application.

• If your child is in their final year at a Kirklees infant or first school and you complete the paper TCAF, we strongly recommend that you return the completed TCAF to that school. This enables schools to ensure that all their transferring pupils have returned a TCAF and, as schools send the TCAFs to us through the internal post, it is more secure than posting the TCAF directly to us.
• If your child is due to start full-time school for the first time and you complete the paper PCAF you should return the completed PCAF to your first preference school.
• If your child is not attending a Kirklees school or is not in their final year and you complete the paper TCAF, you should return the completed TCAF to the School Admissions Team (address on the TCAF).
• You should get a free proof of postage certificate from the Post Office and enclose a stamped-addressed envelope for safe receipt to be acknowledged. If you have not received an acknowledgment within 21 days of posting the form you must telephone to check the form has been received. Please do not post the completed TCAF to the school or School Admission Team unless it is absolutely necessary. We cannot be responsible for forms lost in the post.
• The closing date for applications is Sunday 15 January 2012.
• We will treat any applications received after the closing date as late. This can severely reduce your chances of obtaining a place at one of your preferred schools. We do not consider late applications until places have been allocated to all on-time applicants. This means that when late applications are dealt with many popular schools may already be full.

Kirklees school admissions online

Apply online for a school place Please note you will need to be using Internet Explorer 7, or later, or an alternative browser for the form to work at this time.

• For transfer to junior or middle school the online application form is available from
  31 October 2011 until the deadline on 15 January 2012.
• For admission to reception the online application form is available from
  12 September 2011 until the deadline on 15 January 2012.

• Email: onlineadmissions@kirklees.gov.uk

Why should I apply online?

• It enables you to make your application and send it to us immediately.
• We will confirm that we have received your application.
• Even if you have made your application you can come back and amend it any time until the deadline.
• You can be assured that your application has been received.
• You can keep a record of the application you made.
• It's quick and easy to do.
• It's secure - only you can see your information.
• The system helps you by checking for errors before you submit your application.
• The application procedure is easy to follow as you are guided throughout the application process.
• You can save your unfinished application and complete it later.
• You can view your application any time.
• You will not have to post anything to us, saving you the cost of a stamp.
• The environment benefits from a decrease in the use of paper forms and envelopes.
• We will email you with our decision on 20 April 2012 - it's quicker than waiting for the post.
• You can also log on to get the result of your application on 20 April 2012.