Essential Guide to Education

Making your way from

• Primary school, to ...
• Secondary for 2009
• Into college 
• And onto university

READ MORE about our listed schools by clicking on the corresponding links in the column to the right >

By Kevin Quinn
Joint Group Editor of the Southwark News/Weekender
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FOR THE SEVENTH year, the Southwark News brings you the essential guide to education in Southwark, to help parents, carers and their children.

When we first launched the guide it was primarily to help those who were making the leap from primary to secondary. But we were quick to recognise the need for informed decisions on getting into primary, right the way through to university. When it comes to looking for a place in an educational institution for you or for your child, the buzzword at the moment is choice. However, in reality it is not so much about choice as preference. Everything comes with a price and that can be in terms of money at some places, but also qualifications and where you stand according to admission criteria.


Primary

DO NOT be under the illusion that, just because your child goes to a primary school’s nursery, he or she will automatically qualify for a place at that primary. At this stage every application is treated the same. In fact you stand a better chance of getting into the school’s nursery than the school itself, as not every child goes to nursery. 

“Everyone applying for a place at a primary must be treated equally,” Southwark’s Head of Admissions Anita Hawksley explains. “Not everyone goes to nursery and some might not live in the same area when they have their child at nursery. Therefore all children must submit a fresh primary application if they want to apply for a reception or mid year place at a primary school.”

Again you should tour the primaries in your area before making your preferences. Most primaries will allow you to make an appointment with the head to see the school, rather than holding specific open days for admissions as secondary schools do.

Admission to reception happens twice a year in September or January, depending on the date of birth of your son or daughter. If he or she is born between September and January, then he or she will be part of the September intake, and if the date of birth is between March and August then the intake will be in January. The main criteria for community primaries run by the local education authority is, ‘nearest to the school’ by distance. Southwark Children’s services use a computerised mapping system to measure the shortest safest walking route from your home to the school gate to make their decision. So if you want to go to a primary which is not in your area, then it is unlikely that you will get your child in.

For children entering Reception class in September 2009 and January 2010, parents must apply now on one primary transfer form only and will be able to make up to four preferences for Southwark primary schools. These will need to be made in order of preference.  The closing date for application forms to be returned to the local education authority is January 23 2009 and allocations will then be made as to which school is able to offer a place. All parents, regardless of whether or not their child will start in September or January, will be informed of the school they have been allocated in Southwark after April 24 2009.

If you would like to apply for a primary school outside of the borough, such as Lewisham or Lambeth, then you must complete that authority’s application form and return it to them before their deadline date, which may differ from the Southwark date above. Other schools which are not run by the council, such as church or foundation schools, will have their own admissions criteria, which will be laid out in the ‘Southwark Starting Primary School’ booklet. Remember that church schools will expect parents and their children to be regular attenders of the given church and you may also have to complete an additional supplementary form, which asks for further details about your child and their faith.

The starting primary school booklet and reception application forms are currently available at the reception of the education department at John Smith House, 144-152 Walworth Road, London, SE17 1JL, as well as in primary and nursery schools. You may also telephone the admissions section to request a copy of the brochure or reception application form, on 0207 525 5337. Alternatively you can go online to Southwark’s website to view the document and apply online.


Secondary

THE DIFFICULTIES faced each year by parents and carers in obtaining a place at a secondary school for their child remains the biggest problem in terms of education decisions.

You can’t expect to name a secondary school and assume that your child will be automatically offered a place. It is simply a case of listing the schools you prefer and awaiting the outcome of the allocation process. In a highly competitive process it is vital that you get the order of preference right on your child’s primary to secondary transfer application form. The biggest mistake you can make is to put just one school down. That might well be the only school you want for your child, but be prepared for disappointment  - there are no guarantees. To give your child the best chance possible try to list up to six preferences on their application form.

In this booklet each secondary school has provided an analysis of what they do, what they specialise in and what they can offer your child. Read each one - in many cases you will probably be pleasantly surprised. Each school has listed its open days. It is all too easy to just to go by hearsay and reputations - visit the schools for yourself. A school that may never have been in your mind before could offer subjects or have specialist facilities that would meet your child’s talents more than the school that was originally top of your list. In this booklet we have all types of secondaries, from  voluntary aided church schools to the new city academies and independent secondaries. And it is here where the admission criteria vary. It is important you fully understand the admission criteria and match those criteria to your own circumstances. 

Some schools are heavily oversubscribed, with hundreds applying for just 120-180 places. When you go to an open day, make sure you find out how many usually apply to the school - this information will also be printed in the Starting Secondary brochure. The more people who apply for a school for their children, the bigger the risk that you might not get in. Armed with this knowledge, you should be better placed to put your preferences down. You need to be wary about giving six preferences, all of which are schools that are heavily over-subscribed.
Remember, you need to have a fall-back plan.

Put your first preference down but also preferences that you have a real chance of getting your child into. As the local paper, year on year we have seen parents and carers left in the worst possible situation.

They have only picked over-subscribed schools and have got into none. They did not have a fall-back plan. So, from being in a position where they felt they had the luxury of choice, they were left feeling like they had no option but to accept the school they had been allocated automatically by the local education authority.

Applying for secondary schools can be emotionally difficult. It is such a vital decision for your child’s future. For those transferring to secondary school in September 2009 there is a procedure called Co-ordination. All Southwark residents will complete one application form provided by their local education authority and they will be allowed to make six preferences. Even if you wish to apply to a secondary outside of Southwark, this school can only be applied to on the form. The only exception to this rule is if you wish to apply to independent schools. For these type of schools you will complete their own form and not need to put them on the Southwark application form. If your child is in Year 6 and currently attending one of Southwark’s primary schools you will receive a personalised application form. The deadline to return forms is October 24 2008.

“The primary schools play a vital role in primary to secondary transfer,” Anita Hawksley told the ‘News’. “Primaries support and help inform the parents of Year 6 pupils about the procedure and how to complete their application forms.” There is also a Parent Preference Adviser that can advise families about the co-ordinated process and assist with completing application forms.

But since so many of Southwark’s secondaries have now become city academies it is vital to check how the admission criteria stands when the school is oversubscribed. Most of the new academies will have kept admission procedure of the old community schools or have slightly altered admission rules - some may also have a supplementary form that parents and carers will need to complete.

It is also worth pointing out a new development to make the transfer easier. Tests for banding were held on different dates for different schools - now the test in Southwark is held on one day for all Southwark schools. This makes a clash in dates for parents and carers also looking at schools outside of the borough less likely. 

Children who have full statements of special educational needs are dealt with outside of the transfer process and parents and carers must contact their primary SEN team for further advice. 

Once you have made your preferences and returned your form by the deadline date, your application will be processed. This exercise takes several months and all applicants across London will be notified of the outcome of their application on the same day. Offer letters will be posted out on March 2 2009.

Co-ordination means that children will be offered only one secondary school place. If you are not successful with any of your preferences then the admissions section will allocate your child a secondary school. However, you have the right to appeal for any schools at which you have been refused a place, as well as to put your child on waiting lists. 
If you have been offered a secondary school place you have until March 16 2009 to accept it. If you do not accept the place by this date the offered place will be withdrawn and offered to the next child on the school’s waiting list.
To make the application process easier when applying to a primary and secondary school the government recently set up an online system available through each local authority.

Called e-ADMISSIONS, it  gets rid of the paperwork, and is available to use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The site allows users to save, continue or make changes to their form right up until the deadline. Your details are safe and secure and you will be advised if you make a mistake. You can of course print a copy of your application to keep and can view the outcome online. To apply online, or for further information, parents and carers can go to the Southwark website at: www.southwark.gov.uk/schooladmissions

 
Further/ Higher Education

THE RESULTS you get at secondary will arm you with the right tools for further education. Call sixth forms and further education institutions to see which courses you qualify for. If places are available on the course of your choice, you could get in, even if you don’t have the exact qualifications.

Remember, there are a variety of routes to get into college – depending on the course and qualification you are after. And at university the same is the case. All is not lost if you did not get the grades you were after, as the clearing system could match you to the best university for you.