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Home: Children and families: Parents and carers: School admissions: Secondary

Admission to secondary school - Frequently asked questions

School Admissions - September 2011
schooladmissions@kirklees.gov.uk


What is the Published Admission Number (PAN)?
The PAN is the number of pupils admitted to each year in a school. Usually the PAN is the school's net capacity divided by the number of age groups of children in the school. If we decide on a lower number, we have to publish an explanation.
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How does the admission authority decide which children are allocated places?
These criteria apply to all Kirklees schools, with the exception of the schools listed below: Schools with their own admission criteria.
  • If there are fewer applicants than there are places available, everyone who applies will be offered a place. When there are more applicants than there are places available there has to be a way of deciding which children are offered places. This is done by having admission criteria which are considered in order. These criteria can also be called oversubscription criteria. In Kirklees the admission criteria are:
    1. children in public care (looked after children)
    2. children who live in the school's Priority Admission Area (PAA) who have an older brother or sister attending from the same address at the date of admission (the younger sibling rule)
    3. children who live in the school's PAA
    4. children who live outside the school's PAA who have an older brother or sister attending from the same address at the date of admission (the younger sibling rule)
    5. children who live outside the school's PAA.
    • Schools will admit children with statements of special educational needs where the statement names the school.

  • Notes

    • Children in priority 1 above may be admitted above the Published Admission Number (PAN).
    • If we cannot agree to requests for admission in priorities 2 to 5 above without exceeding the PAN, we will give priority up to the PAN to children living nearest the school.
    • Distance is measured in a straight line from a child's home address to the school. Measurements are calculated using six-figure National Grid Co-ordinates from the National Land and Property Gazetteer. This grid reference relates to a point that falls within the permanent building structure corresponding to the address. The boundary of the building structure for the address is from Ordnance Survey's MasterMap. For smaller, residential properties the grid reference marks a point near the centre of the building. For larger properties like schools with, for example, multiple buildings and large grounds, the grid reference relates to a point inside the main addressable building structure. The distance calculated is accurate to within 1 metre.
    • 'Live' means the child's permanent home at the date when applications close or, if a significant house move is involved, the latest reasonable date before the final allocation of places. It is expected the allocation process will take place on 23 January 2012. The latest reasonable date for evidence of a significant house move will therefore be Wednesday 18 January 2012.
    • For children transferring from middle schools, we will give preference in priorities 2 to 5 above (up to the PAN) to children attending a middle school in the high school PAA.
    • A PAA means a geographical area determined by Kirklees in consultation with the governing body of the school. It is called this because children living there normally have priority for admission over children who live elsewhere. It is also known as the catchment area.
    • Children with Statements of Special Educational Needs are admitted to mainstream schools, special units and special schools separately from the general admission policies in this booklet.

These schools have their own admission criteria:
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Can I choose which secondary school my child will go to?
The law on admissions gives parents the right to express a preference for a school. It does not use the word 'choice'. The 'choice' you have is which schools to put down on the common application form and what order to rank them in (first, second or third preference).

Naming a school does not guarantee that your child will be allocated a place there, although we will try to meet as many preferences as possible.

For September 2011 transfers, over 97% of Kirklees pupils were allocated places at one of their preferred schools and 84% were allocated their first preference.
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Will the order I have listed my schools in be important?
Yes, it is very important. If your child qualifies for a place at more than one of the schools you have named we will use your preference order to determine which school to offer. This will always be the highest preference school where your child qualifies.
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Will my child be of higher priority for a place at a school if I name it as my first preference?
No. Places at schools are allocated according to the admission criteria for the school. However, as you will be offered a place at the highest preference school where your child qualifies, it is very important that you name the school you would most like your child to attend as your first preference.
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Will my child be of lower priority for a place at a school if I name it as my second or third preference?
No. Places at schools are allocated according to the admission criteria for the school. However, it is very important that you name schools in the order in which you prefer them as you will be offered a place at the highest preference school where your child qualifies.
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Do I have to name three schools?
No, but we would advise you to name second and third preference schools in case a place is not available at your first preference. Please note that if you name the same school more than once we will only treat it as one preference. We assess all your preferences equally to decide if your child qualifies for a place. If your child qualifies at more than one school we will offer you a place at whichever of those schools is the higher preference.
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How do I know which is my catchment school?
If you are unsure which catchment area you live in, please contact the School Admissions Team who will be able to tell you. If you do not live in Kirklees you will not be in the catchment area of any Kirklees school. Your home local authority will be able to tell you which school is your catchment school.
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Do I have to include my catchment school in my preferences?
No, but we advise you to. If you do not name your catchment school it may not be available as an alternative later if we are unable to offer you a place at any of your preferred schools. Your catchment school may have filled with children who named it as a preference and we would then have to offer you a place at the nearest available school which could be some distance from your home.
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Are there disadvantages in applying for a school outside our catchment area?
Sometimes there are. Your child will be of lower priority for a place, as will any younger brothers or sisters who wish to follow.
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What do I do if I want to apply for a voluntary aided school, free school, trust school or an academy?
The governing bodies of these schools are the admission authorities for the schools, not the local authority. To apply for any of these schools you must name the school as one of your three preferences. We will send details of your application to the governing body.

Please note that if you make All Saints Catholic College - Specialist in Humanities, Batley Grammar School, Heckmondwike Grammar School or St John Fisher Catholic High School one of your preferences on the Secondary Common Application Form (SCAF), you should also complete the school’s Supplementary Information Form (SIF) and return it to the school. If you do not complete a SIF the governors of the school may consider your application of lower priority as they may not have all the information they need to assess your application against their admission criteria.
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What do I do if I want to apply for a school outside Kirklees?
You must make the school one of your three preferences. You should refer to the information (similar to this) produced by the maintaining authority, for example, if you wish to apply for Rastrick High School you should refer to the Calderdale authority guide. This will give you information about the school's admission criteria. If you name a school outside Kirklees we will pass details of your request to the local authority which maintains the school.
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What do I do if I live outside Kirklees but would like my child to attend a Kirklees school?
You must make the Kirklees school one of your preferences on your home local authority application form. Your home local authority will pass details of your application to Kirklees.
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What do I do if I want my child to attend an independent (fee paying) school?
You will need to make your own arrangements. Kirklees does not provide help with fees, transport or other costs. Do not include independent schools among your preferences.
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What should I consider when deciding my preferences?
The best way to decide which schools you prefer is to visit the schools and talk to the headteacher, staff and children. Most secondary schools have open days/evenings when you can look around the school - details of these can be found below. If you are unable to attend a school's open day/evening you may contact the school to request an individual appointment.

Each school produces a prospectus which includes information about the school including the school's aims, organisation and facilities. The prospectus is available free from the school or at the open day/evening.

Before making a final decision we advise you to consider the oversubscription criteria for the school and the categories of applicants who were successful the previous year. This will help you to judge if your application is likely to be successful.
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When are the open evenings?
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What questions might I ask when I visit a school?
The following questions may help you when considering which school is best for your child.
  • How is the school organised?
  • How does the school offer a broad and balanced curriculum?
  • How does the school check a pupil's progress and how does it report it to parents?
  • Are parents encouraged to support their child's learning?
  • Does the school set homework?
  • Can books be borrowed to take home?
  • What help will be given to a pupil who has difficulty with a particular subject?
  • Does the school make special provision for very able pupils?
  • How does the school recognise and reward achievement?
  • What extracurricular activities are there?
  • How does the school care for the welfare of its pupils?
  • What is the school's discipline policy?
  • Is there a school uniform?
  • How can parents prepare their child for the transfer to high school?
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What else might I look for when visiting a school with my child?
  • Is the school a reasonable distance from home?
  • Are we given a friendly welcome from staff and pupils?
  • Are we provided with up-to-date and useful information?
  • Are we given an opportunity to ask relevant questions and are these answered cooperatively?
  • Are we able to visit all areas of the school?
  • Is the school clean, safe and well-equipped?
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Who can help me with this process?
Kirklees offers a Choice Advice Service to help and support parents.
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How can I find out about a school's uniform policy?
You can obtain details by contacting the school directly or, alternatively, you can contact the Kirklees Choice Advice Service, which holds details of all Kirklees schools' uniform policies.
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How can I find out about the school's ethos and values?
You can get details of the individual school's ethos and values as well as their curriculum policy and any other policy's adopted by the governing body or headteacher by contacting the school.
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When will I find out which secondary school my child has been allocated?
National Offer Day is 1 March 2012. On this date, the School Admissions Team sends out the allocation letters to parents. Please note that this is not the date that you will receive your letter. If you have applied online you can view your offer online on 1 March 2012. You can also chose to receive your offer by email on this date.
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Does the school my child currently attends affect which secondary school will be allocated?
No. The allocation of places at Kirklees community and voluntary controlled schools is based on the child's permanent home address and whether they will have any older siblings attending the school at the date of their admission.

The only exception to this is in the Shelley and Whitcliffe Mount areas where slightly higher priority is given under each admission criteria (up to the Published Admission Number [PAN]) to children attending a middle school in the secondary school's primary admission (catchment) area.
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What is a sibling?
A sibling is your child's brother or sister (including half-brothers and sisters, stepbrothers and sisters, adoptive brothers and sisters and fostered children living with the same family at the same address). Please note that cousins do not count as siblings.
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What is considered to be a child's permanent address?
A child is normally regarded as living with a parent or carer and we will use the parent or carer's address for admissions purposes. You cannot lodge a child with a friend or relation to gain a place at a school.

Under the Kirklees admission policy, only one address can be used as a child's permanent address. Where a child's parents live at different addresses and the child spends time at each address we will consider the following when deciding on the address which we will use for admissions purposes:
  • the amount of time spent at each address
  • which parent has parental responsibility for the child
  • who receives child benefit for the child
  • where the child is registered for medical and dental care
  • any residency or custody orders made by the courts.
We will ask for documentary evidence to support information given about the above points.
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Fraudulent applications
Where the authority has made an offer of a place at a secondary school based on fraudulent or intentionally misleading information which has effectively denied a place to a child with a higher right of admission we will withdraw the offer of a place. If the authority does withdraw an offer of a place you will be offered an alternative school place and told of your right to appeal to an independent appeal panel.
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Withdrawing places
Once a place has been allocated it is not usually withdrawn. However, occasionally it becomes clear that a mistake was made during the allocation process which has resulted in a child being allocated a place to the detriment of other children of a higher priority. In such circumstances it may be necessary for the place to be withdrawn. A place would not normally be withdrawn for this reason if the child had started at the school.
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Can I change my mind after I have completed my application form?
Up to the closing date, you may change your preferences by writing to the School Admissions Team or by logging into your user account if you have applied online. After the closing date you cannot change your preferences without a genuine reason for doing so, such as a significant change of address. We will require proof of a change of circumstances. Learning that your child is suitable or not suitable for a selective school will not be considered reason to allow you to change your preference.

Please think very carefully before naming your preferred schools and make sure that you put them in the correct order.
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What happens if I move house before places are allocated?
If you are due to move house during the period when people are making applications, you must seek advice from the School Admissions Team, as a change of address may affect your offer of a school place. You will be required to provide written proof of your child's home address or the reasons for a change in a child's permanent home address. Proof of change of address will be accepted until the latest reasonable date before the final allocation of school places. It is expected the allocation process will take place on 23 January 2012. The latest reasonable date for evidence of a significant house move will therefore be Wednesday 18 January 2012. We will withdraw places offered based on an address later found to be fraudulent.
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What evidence do I need to provide?
  • If your move involves the sale and purchase of properties then you will need to provide suitable written evidence in the form of a letter from your solicitors. This should detail your exchange of contracts on both properties and the actual completion date. A letter of intent to buy is not enough.
  • If your move involves renting a property, you will need to provide suitable independent written evidence (for example from an estate agent or solicitor) of the tenancy agreement or lease including the start and end date. You will also need to provide suitable written evidence (in the form of a letter from your solicitor or estate agent) confirming the sale of your existing property or that your previous tenancy has ended.
  • If your move involves you returning to live in a property that you already own, you will need to provide suitable written evidence of the date that you will resume living in the property and that you intend to remain living there for the foreseeable future. If you have rented this property out, please provide evidence that you have given your tenants notice to leave.
  • If your move involves you living with a member of your family, we will need to see proof of your child benefit, showing the child is resident at the relevant address.
  • If your child has moved to live with you at an address that you already occupied, again, we will need to see proof of child benefit, showing the child is now resident with you.
If you need a copy of your child benefit annual statement please contact the Child Benefit Enquiry Line.
  • Child Benefit Enquiry Line: 0845 302 1444
Alternatively, you can request confirmation of child benefit by emailing your full name, address, your child's name, date of birth, child benefit reference number and daytime contact number to this address: Or you can use the Child Benefit online service: Please note, unless the written evidence you provide proves, to the satisfaction of the Schools Admissions Team, you have moved to the address that you state, we will not be able to consider your application from your new address.

Before a new address can be used for admission purposes we need to be assured that your previous address is no longer available to you. This could be confirmation that the property has been sold, or that your tenancy has expired. If you still own the property we will consider regarding it as no longer available if it is rented. Documentary evidence is needed in all cases.

In certain circumstances, the School Admissions Team may ask an Attendance and Pupil Support Officer to visit you to verify that you are resident at the address you state on your application form.
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What happens if I move house after places have been allocated?
If you change your address after the offer of a school place you may still keep the place which has been allocated. If the school offered is no longer suitable you should contact School Admissions to get information about schools with vacancies in your new area.
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What happens if I miss the deadline?
If we receive your application after the closing date it will be considered late unless, in Kirklees' judgement, there are significant and exceptional reasons for it not being received on time. We will need proof of such special circumstances.

Late applications are not considered until all on-time applicants have been allocated school places. This severely reduces your chances of obtaining a place at any of your preferred schools.
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What if my child has special educational needs but does not have a Statement?
We will consider your application in the same way as all other applications and the admission criteria will apply in the normal way.
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What should I do if my child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs?
You should complete the application form naming your preferred school or schools. If your child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs it is very important that you state this on your application. The Special Educational Needs Admin Team will decide whether the school is suitable to meet your child's needs.
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Can I educate my child at home?
The law allows you to educate your child at home. However, the law states that you must make sure your child gets "efficient full-time education suitable to their age, ability and aptitude and to any special educational needs they may have". If you wish to educate your child at home you must tell us, as the local authority has a duty to ensure that your child is receiving efficient education. Please contact the School Admissions Team.
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Can my child transfer a year early?
This happens only in exceptional circumstances. The pupil must have completed the appropriate key stage course work at the highest level and have shown exceptional ability throughout. The pupil must also be able to cope with the social situation at the next phase of schooling. It does not necessarily mean that, because a child is 'top of the class', s/he should be transferred early.

You should send your request for an early transfer to School Admissions by Sunday, 31 October 2011.

You should be aware the legal school-leaving age is not affected by early transfer.
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What happens if I do not qualify for a place at any of my preferred schools?
If your child does not qualify for a place at any of the schools you have named and you live in Kirklees, we will allocate a place at your child's catchment school if places are available. If a place is not available, we will allocate a place at the nearest school where places are available.
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What if I am not happy with the place I am offered?
If you are not happy with the school allocated and want to ask for an alternative, please contact the School Admissions Team for details of schools with vacancies. You may also appeal to an independent appeal panel to try to secure a place at any school at which you were refused. We would strongly advise against declining the school place allocated without first securing a place at an alternative school.
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Can my child be placed on a school's waiting list?
Your child's name will automatically be placed on the waiting list for any Kirklees community or voluntary controlled school where they have been refused a place.

We will keep waiting lists until the end of the final school day of the 2012/13 school year for admissions into all year groups (including the first year) at secondary schools. Waiting lists for the first year at secondary school are made up of on-time and late applicants. We place children on waiting lists in strict priority order according to the school's published admission criteria and not according to when their application was received.

The School Admissions Team will write to you if a place becomes available for your child. We will ask you to complete and return a reply slip within 10 days to confirm whether you wish to accept the place offered. If you do not return your reply slip within 10 days we will assume that you wish to accept the place offered and we will withdraw the school place previously allocated.

The voluntary aided schools, free schools, trust schools or academies in Kirklees and schools in other local authorities may have different procedures for their waiting lists. You should obtain this information direct from the school or the local authorities.
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Can my child change schools during the school year?
Transferring a pupil from one school to another can be very unsettling for them. Issues to consider are:
  • disruption to examination courses
  • breaking friendships
  • lack of continuity of the curriculum
  • attendance patterns.

However, we do recognise that transfers may have to take place in certain circumstances. In the past, parents were able to approach a school directly and, if the school had a vacancy, the school could deal with an in-year admission without involving the School Admissions Team. The School Admissions Code, which came into force in February 2009, now requires the local authority to co-ordinate all admissions throughout the school year and for all age groups. This means parents will only have to contact one place in order to request admission or transfer to any school at any time.

There are three different types of in-year admission:
  • Parents or carers who have moved into Kirklees and do not have a school place for their child
  • Parents or carers who are moving within Kirklees and whose child already has a school place
  • Parents or carers who live in Kirklees and are not moving house, but would like their child to change school

Parents or carers must apply via their home local authority using the In-Year Common Application Form (ICAF). The ICAF is available for Kirklees residents from Kirklees schools or from the School Admissions Team.

If, after taking the above points into consideration, you still wish your child to change schools, you should contact the School Admissions Team for details of the procedure you need to follow. We normally only allow a child to start at a new school at the beginning of a term unless their home address has changed significantly.
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