Parents and carers of children who have just started in Year 6 are being asked to apply for their child’s secondary school place by the deadline of 31 October 2024.
Last year, there were 7,172 children who applied for a Warwickshire secondary school place by the deadline, with 81% being offered their first-choice school and a further 14% being offered a place at another of their top three school choices.
However, each year there are families who are disappointed on National Offer Day 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/secondaryplace.
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 2024. National Offer Day for secondary school places is 3 March 2025.
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/secondaryplace.