Primary Times Staffordshire Back 2 School 2016

Get ready for
Secondary
School
As another September rolls around it could soon be your
child’s last one in primary school. Even if your child is still
in the middle of primary, it’s never too early to start thinking
about secondary school. If your child has just started
year 6, now is the time to apply as the deadline for
Secondary School applications is 31 October.
All schools have admission criteria to decide
which children get places and these criteria
differ depending on the school. Before
deciding to apply for a place in a particular
school you need to check with your council
to see if you are in the catchment area. The
catchment area for schools is defined by the
local authority and every year stories are
numerous of people living next door to a
particular school yet not being part of the
catchment. Do not assume that because you
are within walking distance of a particular place
of learning that you are within the catchment.
Check now to avoid disappointment later.
The local council/authority should be able to
provide you with a list of application criteria
for the school(s) of your choice, as they can,
and do, vary from school to school. Many
schools will give preference to a child who
already has a sibling there, which means that
if you are new to the school (even if you live
on the doorstep), your child will fall ‘after’
siblings in the queue for a place. It is good
practice to contact the school directly to
double check their admissions policies.
If you are sending your child to a private or
fee paying secondary school, then contact
them directly to find out what they require for
admission as your child’s place could depend
on passing an entrance exam. It is not
uncommon for parents to consider tutoring
for entrance exams as early as year 4.
Unfortunately, unless you are prepared to
educate your child privately, you cannot
choose your child’s secondary school. You
can express a preference when applying but
there is no guarantee that your child will get a
place at your first choice. It is a good idea to
attend the open days of a few schools in the
area - even if you hadn’t considered them until
now. You should certainly put more than one
choice down when applying and this will help
you make an informed decision for your
second and third preferences.
To stand the best chance of being allocated a
place at your first choice, it is crucial to get
your application in on time (by 31 October
2016 for September 2017 entry). Secondary
school placements will be confirmed by the
council on 1 March 2017 (or the next working
day). If your child did not get a place in the
school you preferred there are some things
you can do...
First, accept the place you have been offered
– this doesn’t mean that you have to take it or
that you won’t be in a position to try to get into
your preferred school. Simply, if all else fails,
it means your child has a place to go to school
next September. A place, even in a school that
wasn’t your first choice, is better than no
school place at all. If you know nothing about
the school where you’ve been offered a place,
then make an appointment to visit; you might
be pleasantly surprised.
As soon as you find out that your child has
not got into your preferred school find out
immediately what the appeals process is.
There will be a very limited window when you
can appeal so don’t delay in finding out when
it is. Once you’ve applied for an appeal you will
only have a short time to assemble evidence
to present to an ‘Appeal Committee’ as to why
your child should get a place in the school of
your choice. If you are contemplating an
appeals process, then it is best to seek out
advice. Talk to secondary school teachers and
anyone who has already been through the
process.
Check to see if there is a waiting list for your
preferred school and if there is make sure your
child’s name is added to it. Ask where on the
waiting list your child is and how many children
from the waiting list got places the previous
year – this means you will have some idea of
whether or not your child will get in. To further
your child’s chances of getting a place at a
school you want you can be on several waiting
lists at the one time. (Don’t forget though your
child may be pushed down the list if another
child is added who fulfils more of that school’s
application criteria.)
If the secondary school you’ve been allocated
is over 3 miles walking distance you can
contact the council and ask them what
provision they will make to transport your
child to and from school every day.
Whether or not you get your child into the
school of your choice try to stay calm. Moving
up to secondary school is a huge transition for
children and often a frightening one. Be sure
to emphasize the positives which could include
the fact that some of their school friends will
also be going to the same school while equally
they will make lots of new friends. For some
children it will be an opportunity to expand
their sporting prowess whilst for others it could
be the chance to advance their artistic skills.
For almost all children Secondary school
marks a new era of independence and that
really is something to celebrate.
Secondary school subjects
Just like primary school, secondary
education is divided into two keys stages
– KS3 and KS4. The first part, KS3 applies
in years 7 through to 9 (ages 11-14).
In KS3 schools are required to provide both
Religious and Sex Education respectively
although parents can have their children
opt out wholly or partly from either subject.
Subjects include: English, Maths,
Science, History, Geography, Modern
foreign languages, Art & Design, Physical
Education, Citizenship, Computing.
Anne Marie Scanlon for Primary Times
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Primary Times BACK TO SCHOOL 2016 | www.primarytimes.net/staffordshire