Admission to secondary school booklet 2014-15 - South ...

How do I choose my preferredschools?The common application form enables you to express a preference for up to three schoolsand to list them in preference order. You are advised to list all three preferences. There is noadvantage in naming just one preference or naming one preference three times. Similarly, youshould not write down schools if you really do not want a place there.Understand the admissions criteriaThink very carefully about the schools for whichyou express a preference and make sure you readand understand the relevant admission criteriafor the school concerned. This will help you toconsider whether or not you will be successful ingaining a place at your preferred school(s). Theadmission criteria for all community and voluntarycontrolled schools are provided in the “How areplaces allocated” section.Academies, foundation trust schools anduniversity technical colleges have their ownadmission criteria and details are set out towardsthe end of this booklet.It is important to remember that it may not alwaysbe possible to offer your child a place at one ofyour preferred schools.Research your preferred schoolsYou may like to do some research into your localschools before you complete your application.The sorts of things you might consider are asfollows:❚ talk to parents/carers who already havechildren at your local schools and talk to staff atyour child’s primary/junior school.❚ consider the distance from home to schooland how you will get your child to school.Think about the route to school and modeof travel. (If your child is walking rememberthey will need to do the journey twice a day).Please remember that it is your responsibilityto get your child to and from school. Freetransport provision is offered only in certaincircumstances. Eligibility criteria for theprovision of home to school transport areavailable in the “Travel and transport to school”section.❚ find out what other activities and extendedprovision the school offers, i.e. breakfast clubs/after school clubs/sporting activities.A list of schools is provided in the “Secondaryschools, academies, foundation trust schoolsand university technical colleges in SouthGloucestershire (and maps)” section.How do I choose my preferred schools?❚ schools hold open days or evenings oroffer opportunities to visit the schools.We recommend parents/carers take theopportunity to visit the schools and talk tomembers of staff. See section entitled “Openday/evening information” for dates.If you are considering applying for a schooloutside South Gloucestershire you should stillcomplete the common application form. SouthGloucestershire Council will pass the details ofapplications received on to other local authoritiesfor processing as appropriate.❚ each school publishes a prospectus(obtainable from the school) which givesinformation about the school, including results.Many schools also have websites and theresults of school inspections can be found onthe Ofsted website at www.ofsted.gov.uk.✆ 01454 868008 cis@southglos.gov.uk9