Secondary Transfer

1
Secondary Transfer Admissions 2009
16 September 2008 600 645p.m School Hall
2
Key Dates for Parents
Date Happening Comment
18/19 September 2008 Kent Tests (11) take place in school for those children who were registered. Come to school as normal on these days.
20 October 2008 Kent Test assessment decisions posted to parents (to arrive 21 October). No appeals can be made against the test decisions.
5 November 2008 (7 November 2008 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.
2 March 2009 Offer 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 2009 Secondary schools to send welcome letters to parents.
26 March 2009 By this date, parents must confirm whether or not they accept the offer, make any appeals and/or requests to be placed on a schools waiting list Important! Your place may be lost if you do not accept the offer by this deadline.
30 March 2009 Secondary schools may offer any vacant places to pupils on their waiting lists, prioritised according to their criteria
3
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.
• www.kent.gov.uk/ola
• SCAFs must be completed and returned to us at
  school by 5 November 2008 (Kent LA collecting all
  forms on 7 November 2008). If the deadline is
  missed, your SCAF will not be considered until
  after 3 March 2008.
• 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 [phone] E-mail
  choiceadvisor_at_kent.gov.uk
• We are here to help! If you have any difficulties
  in completing the SCAF, please come and ask.

4
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.

5
You could apply to
No 11 With 11
Hillview (girls) Tunbridge Wells Boys Grammar
Hayesbrook (boys) Tunbridge Wells Girls Grammar
Hugh Christie (mixed) Weald of Kent (girls)
Mascalls (mixed) Tonbridge Girls
Wildernesse (boys) Judd (boys)
Bennett (church) Skinners (boys)
St Gregorys (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 These
five schools are ALL fee paying schools.
6
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 permittedThe 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

7
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?

8
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.

9
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.

10
Offers

• On 2 March 2009, the Local Authority will be
  sending all parents offers one school only.
• Parents will receive postal offers on 3 March
  2009.
• Online applications will receive their offer via
  email after 400pm on 2 March 2009.
• If you are happy with the offer great! Make
  sure you accept the offer before 26 March 2009
  (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 26 March 2009.

11
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 email received on 2 or 3 March
  2009.
• 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!

12
Online Applications www.kent.gov.uk/ola

• 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 2008).
• 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 email (although if
  you do not have an email address offers will be
  posted). The email offer will not be sent until
  after 400pm on 2 March 2009.

13
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.

14
Summary

• Your completed SCAF must be returned to us at
  school by 5 November 2008 (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 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!