Secondary Transfer

‘Co-ordinated Admissions’ is the term used for the allocation of school places through one single system, operated by the home local authority. 

This process is co-ordinated across London Boroughs and neighbouring counties  meaning you do not apply directly to a school. You must apply to Bexley or the local council in which you are resident. Co-ordinated admissions give you the opportunity to list a number of school preferences online on the Common Application Form (CAF). The aim of the process is to ensure every child receives an offer of a school place and to ensure the highest available preference is always offered in a fair and transparent way.

Bexley residents should access the online application system via the home page of www.bexley.gov.uk from 1^st September 2024

Families living in other boroughs should apply via their home local authority web site

The statutory deadline for on-time applications is 11.59pm on Monday 31 October 2024.  Applications submitted after this time will be held and processed after National offer day in March – unless there are very strong reasons as to why the deadline was missed.

DO NOT MISS THE DEADLINE – you could miss out on a school which would have been offered to your child if your application is late.

• If you have used the online system within the last 3 years, it may recognise you.
• If you have changed address since you last used the system, please amend the address before making any preferences.

Do your research and make realistic preferences.  

Consider all schools which have easily reached your address in previous years.  Make sure you take advantage of visiting opportunities such as open events or visit schools as applicable 

If you are applying for banding or selective schools, ensure that your child takes part in the testing or their application will only be considered after all other children who have taken the test have been placed.

Details on the Bexley website.

Previous users will find the online system reassuringly familiar and there are many advantages to making your secondary transfer application online.  

• It checks as you fill in your application ensuring that it is complete.
• It offers links to school websites for you to check admissions criteria to confirm how they will be comparing or ranking your application against all the others they will receive
• It will tell you whether the school requires you to complete and return a supplementary information form
• There will be questions to respond to as you make preferences – is this a sibling application? Is this a child of staff application? Questions will relate to the oversubscription criteria of the school and how applications are ranked.
• If you start an application, you will receive emails to remind you to submit the application before the deadline.
• You will receive the school offer on national offer day (1 March 2025)

Up to six preferences can be made for secondary school.  They can be for selective and non-selective schools – all schools can be in the London Borough of Bexley – or all out of Bexley – or a mixture of in and out borough schools. For details of Bexley Schools and Out borough email addresses, please see Admission to Secondary School 2025-26 booklet available from 1 September 2024.

PROCESS

Bexley Admissions will download your online application into their system for processing after 31 October:

• The final submitted version of your online application will be taken into account for processing
• Applications will only be processed if Bexley Admissions has already received your proof of parental responsibility. Council Tax records will be checked for all applicants.
• Changes of address should be notified to Bexley Admissions at schooladmissions@bexley.gov.uk
• Bexley Admissions check all addresses and continues to undertake address ‘spot checks’ throughout the process.

Data Exchange and outcomes between November 2024 and January 2025

All Local Authority Admissions Teams exchange information to let neighbouring authorities know which of their residents are applying for out borough schools.

• Complete lists of all applicants are sent to each school for them to rank in over-subscription order.
• Schools do not know which preference order they have been named and will rank every application fairly against the oversubscription criteria regardless of the order of preference in which they are named.

The ranked lists are returned to Bexley Admissions and entered into the system and the local authority makes offers on behalf of the school.

• The system then allocates places according to each school’s admission arrangements
• Where more than one school is able to offer a place to your child – the preference order is then used to determine which school preference is highest and this is the one offer made.
• This releases the lower preference school offers back into the system making them available for the next most eligible child
• Outcome information is then shared across each authority where applications have been made to ensure that when the process is complete every child in the country will receive an offer of a school place in national offer day where they have made an on-time application.
• Where it is not possible to offer your child one of their preferences because there were more children with greater eligibility for the available places, the authority will identify an alternative school with a vacancy to ensure every child has a school place.

Offers and Acceptances

YOU WILL ONLY RECEIVE ONE OFFER ON NATIONAL OFFER DAY – 1 MARCH 2025.

On-time online applicants will receive notification of which school their child is being offered after 5pm on 1^st  March. All other applicants will be sent a letter posted 1^st class on 1^st March.

Where it is not possible to offer any of the preferences listed a place will be allocated at a nearest school with a vacancy.

You are urged to accept the offer made as it is the best available at this time (unless you have made alternative arrangements such as with an independent school)

Offers should be accepted online ..   Bexley Admissions needs to hear back from everyone before the reply deadline of 16 March so that any place offers that are not required can be re-allocated to children that may still require a school place.

Changes of address

Admissions must be kept informed of any changes of address or circumstance as it happens at any point in the application and offer process.

• If a change impacts on the offer already made to a child, the school concerned will be contacted for their decision as to whether the offer will stand or be rescinded.
• Moves to live with family members or friends and house swaps require additional documentary evidence and will be thoroughly checked to avoid fraudulent applications. Closure of accounts will be required before we will accept a change of address.
• The address used MUST be the permanent main residence of the child.

More information and a detailed processing timetable is available in Admission to Secondary School in Bexley 2025-25 available via www.Bexley.gov.uk from 1 September 2024.

Please find the link below to the Admission to Secondary School 2025-26 booklet.

https://www.bexley.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/secondary-schools/admission-secondary-schools-25-26