Secondary Transfer & Admissions th September :00 – 7:45p.m School Hall

Key Dates for Parents: Date:Happening:Comment: 15/16 September 2009Kent Tests (11+) take place in school for those children who were registered. Come to school as normal on these days. 19 October 2009Kent Test assessment decisions posted to parents (to arrive 20 October). If registration was on-line then assessment result will be e- mailed on 19 October after 4.00 p.m. No appeals can be made against the test decisions. 4 November 2009 (6 November 2009 – all SCAFs are collected from school by Kent LA) Secondary Common Application Form (SCAF) to be returned to Kent LA via school. All forms to be returned to school before the deadline. Online applications – please send in a copy of the completed online application. 1 March 2010Offer of one school place sent to parents by Kent LA. Online applications – after 4p.m Paper applications – posted on the 2 March Parents can appeal – appeal form and waiting list form will be included in post. 5 March 2010Secondary schools to send welcome letters to parents. 15 March 2010By this date, parents must confirm whether or not they accept the offer, make any appeals and/or requests to be placed on a school’s waiting list Important! Your place may be lost if you do not accept the offer by this deadline. 31 March 2010Secondary schools may offer any vacant places to pupils on their waiting lists, prioritised according to their criteria

Secondary Common Application Forms Parents are invited to express four preferences in priority order. Putting down one school only will not improve the chance of getting a place. SCAFs can be submitted online. If this is the case, parents must not submit a paper copy. (However, please print a copy of online form and give it to us in school). Online very successful last year – offers a faster, smoother and easier experience. SCAFs must be completed and returned to us at school by 4th November 2009 (Kent LA collecting all forms on 6th November 2009). If the deadline is missed, your SCAF will not be considered until after 2nd March Choice Advisors are available to help any parent who is unsure about the transfer process. Further details can be found in your booklet. Contact details - Tel: We are here to help! If you have any difficulties in completing the SCAF, please come and ask.

Place Allocation The Local Authority operates an ‘Equal Preference’ scheme. This basically means that secondary schools do not know if they are your first, second, third or fourth choice. (This gives all of our children from Woodlands Junior School the same opportunities and chances as all children in Tonbridge). The order in which you place schools only matters if you are given more than one offer – if this is the case, priority will be given according to your SCAF priority choice. It is important you are aware of the ‘over-subscription criteria’ that schools use when allocating places. Please refer to your Secondary Admissions booklets for guidance.

You could apply to… No 11+With 11+ Hillview (girls)Tunbridge Wells Boys Grammar Hayesbrook (boys)Tunbridge Wells Girls Grammar Hugh Christie (mixed) (additional form and test this year) Weald of Kent (girls) Mascalls (mixed)Tonbridge Grammar (girls) Wilderness (boys)Judd (boys) Bennett (church)Skinners (boys) St Gregory’s (church) You could also apply to… Tonbridge School (boys) – Foundation Award (not Year 7 though: sent to prep) Sevenoaks School (mixed)- Bursaries Walthamstow Hall (girls)- Scholarships and bursaries Rochester College (mixed)- Scholarships Worth (boys)- Scholarships Sackville School (mixed) – Scholarships and bursaries These six schools are ALL fee paying schools.

11+ ‘County Guidance’ The guidance from KCC on preparing pupils for testing is clear as far as it goes: …Some pupils will certainly find them difficult. Coaching is not required or permitted…The Authority supplies one set of ‘practice tests’ shortly before the main tests to try to ensure that all children have similar exposure to the test format and time constraints. How can you help? Revision guides are available Revision timetable – an organised approach to help independence and time management Outside help if required

Before completing your preferences… You know your child – although we are here to offer advice and support, the best way of deciding which secondary school is right for your child is to go and visit them. Try and go when the school is functioning on a ‘normal’ day – the best way to see a school for real is to see it with pupils in it! Which school will meet the need of your child best?

Distance counts! Home to school transport is a consideration for many parents of children that are transferring to secondary school. The criteria to receive home to school transport are that the child must be attending the nearest appropriate school for transport purposes and the distance between home and school must be more than 3 miles via the shortest available walking route. The Local Authority measure distance in a straight line using OS address point data. During your visit to the secondary school ask about ‘catchment areas’ – refer to your booklet for more details (Parish guidance) Are you going to be able to get your child to the school of your choice? Consider travel arrangements and transport.

Transport The admissions and transport policies are completely separate – the most appropriate school for admissions may not be the nearest appropriate school for transport purposes. Children will not automatically receive travel assistance to any school that offers them a place. Families entitled to free school meals or working tax credit may receive transport assistance to one of their three nearest appropriate schools that are between 2 to 6 miles away. (2 – 15 miles if the child is attending a church school on denominational grounds). If this applicable to any of you, please come and see me for further details. The Local Authority will require proof of receipt. Eligibility will be reviewed on an annual basis.

Offers On 1 March 2010, the Local Authority will be sending all parents offers – one school only. Parents will receive postal offers on 2 March Online applications will receive their offer via after 4:00pm on 1 March If you are happy with the offer – great! Make sure you accept the offer before 15 March 2010 (the place could be lost if you fail to accept on time). If you are not happy with the offer, please come and see me as soon as possible. An appeal must be put in before 15 March 2010.

Appeals Any parent has the right to appeal to any school named on their SCAF which refuses them a place. There will be further information about appeals in the letter or received on 2 or 3 March If you are going to appeal a decision, please come and see me. Evidence may needed to support the appeal. Appeals happen quickly – we need to be up to speed!

Online Applications – After the problems with the online system two years ago, Kent LA worked hard to correct problems last year. As a result, the online experience was very positive and all online applications received offers on the scheduled day. Parents can use their log in details to edit their application, view their online application at any time and view their offer details after the allocation date. SCAFs can be submitted online: before the deadline (7 November 2009). Online applications must not send in a paper copy (although I ask you return a printed form to us at school). Online offers will be sent via (although if you do not have an address offers will be posted). The offer will not be sent until after 4:00pm on 2 March 2010.

Judd, Skinners’ & Tonbridge Grammar School The New School Admissions Code require grammar schools which rank all pupils according to aggregated test scores not to give special priority to siblings. This means that the ‘over-subscription criteria’ for the three schools named above have changed slightly. Read guidance notes in Admissions Handbook. Siblings may, of course, still be offered a place at these schools, but only if they qualify through their ranked score.

Summary Your completed SCAF must be returned to us at school by 4 November 2009 (collected by Kent LA on 7 November). If you are completing the SCAF online, please print a summary copy and hand in to school before 7 November. It will help us to support and track your application. Visit all schools of interest to see which school would suit your child best. You know your child – talk to them, be realistic and continue to encourage and support them in all they do. When your offer arrives in March, ensure you respond – accept the offer or appeal. Please see me if you are appealing. You are not on your own! We are here to help and support you – to make the transfer process as stress free as possible. Support your child throughout the whole year – their SATs in May are also important to them, and us!