Parents and carers of children currently in Year 6 are being reminded to apply for their child’s secondary school place by the deadline of 31 October 2023.
Last year, there were 6,720 children who applied by the deadline for a Warwickshire secondary school place, with 80% being offered their first-choice school and a further 16% being offered a place at another of their school choices.
Application can be made here: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/applying-secondary-school-place
Each year there are families who are disappointed on National Offer Day (1 March), when they are offered a school that doesn’t reflect their preferences at all. This is often because they only apply to one school, instead of using more of the six possible choices on their application form. Families that miss the 31 October deadline are also much less likely to get offered a place at a preferred school.
Parents and carers have plenty of useful resources on Warwickshire County Council’s website to help them decide on which schools to include on their application form. This includes a priority area map, a list of all local schools and a handy video to help them to make realistic choices of schools: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/applying-secondary-school-place.
Warwickshire County Council is also running two online events to support families applying for a school place. The first, called Applying for Secondary School is on Tuesday 26 September and is for any parent or carer with a child who will start secondary school in 2024. The second, called Applying for Secondary School with 11+ Test Results, takes place on Thursday 28 September and is for those families who expect to include a Warwickshire grammar school on their application form. Both events are free to join and places can be booked via the Warwickshire County Council website, or at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/warwickshire-county-council-42830850833
Families are also being encouraged to take some time to research their school options before applying, to make sure their choices are realistic.
Cllr Kam Kaur, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for Education, explains: “Making the move to secondary school is a big step, so look at the admissions criteria for each school you are interested in, think about how your child might travel to and from school each day and most importantly, go and visit the schools in your area if you can, have a good look round and talk to the staff and teachers. We have some fantastic schools in Warwickshire, and we want to make sure every child has a place at a school that is right for them”.
Secondary school applications can be made online from the 1 September and must be submitted by 31 October 2023.
Any applications submitted after the 31 October deadline will only be considered once those submitted on time have been made offers, by which time many schools will be full, and the child is much less likely to be offered a place at their preferred school.
Parents and carers wanting more information on how to apply to secondary school should visit https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/applying-secondary-school-place