Applying to Secondary School: A step-by-step guide

Many conversations of Year 6 parents are about secondary schools. What school will be good enough for my child? Moving from primary to secondary school can be a stressful process. Playground horror stories abound and the competition to find the ‘best schools’ a race. Remember that your stress can be your child’s stress. The stress of trying to find the perfect school does rub off on your child so maintaining some perspective can help to keep the family calm, cool and collected during this process of change.  

Admissions criteria

The key to successfully navigating the transition to secondary school is knowledge. Understanding the admissions criteria, how to apply and the applications timetable is crucial to minimise the stress for everyone. Each school will have a website that lists its admission criteria and procedures. Information such as: how close you live to the school, is it linked to the primary school, if you already have a child that attends the school, entrance exams, scholarship assessments (academic, sport, art and music) and interviews will give you an idea of whether or not the school is right for your child. It is important to be realistic in this search. It will add unnecessary stress to both you and your child to apply for schools or scholarships which are not applicable to the child.  

How to apply

All state secondary schools are applied to through the local authority. You will be allowed to list a limited number of options. This can be found on your local authority website. If you are applying to an independent school, you will need to apply to each school and you should refer to the respective school’s website and application forms. You can apply to as many independent schools as you would like, but remember that your child will have to sit an exam for each and potentially have an interview. This is not an endless search and the process can be exhausting for both you and your child. It is helpful to short list the schools by reading their websites and visiting on open days before you make the application. Just as important as not applying to too many schools, it is important to have a couple back up schools that you and your child would be happy to attend in the unfortunate case that the first choice is not an option.  

Key dates

It is essential to know your key dates in the application process. Aim to attend open days at the beginning of Year 6 in September/October. The closing date for applications is usually in October. Independent schools can hold pre-tests in November and actual entrance exams in January, followed by interviews and scholarship assessments. Place offers are made between February and March. Once you have the offers and have decided on the secondary school, remember to respond by accepting the offer.  

Appeals process

There is an appeals process if your child is not allocated the state school you would like and it is best to check with your local authority for their appeal procedures.   At the end of the day, the question many parents ask is, ‘Will the school be good enough for my child?’ There are many amazing secondary schools all over the country but that doesn’t mean that the school will be right for your child. If you believe your child will be happy and thrive in their new environment, then it will be more than good enough.   Further information can be found at: Good Schools Guide https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/ The Tatler Guide to the Best State Secondary Schools 2017 http://www.tatler.com/news/articles/january-2017/best-state-secondary-schools-uk-2017 The Tatler Schools Guide 2017 for private schools http://www.tatler.com/guides/schools-guide/2017 The Guide to Independent Schools http://guidetoindependentschools.com/ The 100 best-performing state schools http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/gcse-results-2016-best-state-schools-top-100-grades-uk-secondary-where-are-a7211931.html