FAQs

For children due to move to secondary/high school in September 2024, you can make an application from 01 September 2023.

Applications will close on 31 October 2023.

Yes, you must still make an application for your preferred school. Available places are then allocated using the relevant admission arrangements.

You can check the catchment area using the schools guide for addresses within Staffordshire.

Your child will not be considered for a place at your catchment area school unless it is named as one of your preferred schools on your application.

Please also note there is no guaranteed admission to your catchment area school.  Allocations will be dependent on the availability of spaces in the relevant year group.  In addition, there are now 15 schools in Staffordshire who do not give priority for admission to catchment area children.

Catchment areas are also subject to regular review and may change.

You are able to name up to three schools in your application and if you wish to apply for more you should let us know. No extra weighting is given for the number of times you include a school on your form.

The majority of parents and carers in Staffordshire get one of their preferred schools.  You must still consider the possibility of not getting your school preferences. This is particularly the case if your preference is for a school that is not within your catchment area.

If you live in Staffordshire and you only list one school and your child cannot be offered a place at that school, a place will be offered at a school with a space available and you will be advised of the independent appeal process. There may have been other schools that you would have preferred your child to go to.

You can apply for places at schools both within and outside Staffordshire on the application provided by your home authority. You cannot apply directly to Staffordshire.

For academies, foundation and aided schools, it is not always the case that this criteria is relevant, please check individual admission arrangements to see the criteria used to allocate school places at particular schools.

For community and voluntary controlled schools, children must have current exceptional circumstances and also demonstrate that they will suffer hardship if they are unable to attend the preferred school. Hardship means severe suffering of any kind, not merely difficulty, inconvenience or mild to moderate emotional distress, which is likely to be experienced as a result of the child attending a different school.  There are very few applications that meet the threshold for admission under this criteria (please read the admission arrangements carefully).

Applications will close on 31 October 2023 for a school place for September 2024.

What happens if I apply after this date?

Late applications for schools for which Staffordshire is the admission authority, i.e. community and voluntary controlled schools, will be considered alongside those applicants who applied on time wherever possible. 

If places have already been allocated, late applicants will only be considered afterwards. If one of your preferred schools is not a Staffordshire community or voluntary controlled school then the relevant admission authority may decide not to process your application until after the 01 March, and therefore after places have been allocated.

A late application does not affect the right of appeal or the right to be placed on a school’s waiting list. 

Last year there were over 250 late applications.  This may have affected the outcome of these applications.

If you wish to change your preferences to include schools not previously named or wish to change your preferences after National Offer Day you will need to email admissions@staffordshire.gov.uk to make a late application. Your application will be administered in line with the late application process detailed in the relevant admission arrangements.

Waiting List

If your child has not been offered a place at your preferred community or voluntary controlled school then your child's name will automatically be placed on a waiting list. A child's position on the waiting list is not fixed and can be subject to change during the year i.e. they can go up or down the list as other children are added.

If the number of places offered falls below the schools published admission number then places will be offered to pupils on the waiting list. Pupils names are held on the waiting list in accordance with the admission arrangements. The lists are kept until the 31 December in the year of admission.

Appeal

You also have a right of appeal to an independent panel.

Some schools will require you to complete a supplementary application form in order to apply their admission arrangements.

If you ar required to provide a copy of your child's baptism certificate please email this to admissions@staffordshire.gov.uk detailing your child's name, date of birth and school(s) applied for.

Some maintained grammar schools in other areas will require your child to sit an entrance exam. You will need to complete a form to register your child for the entrance exam and you should contact the school directly for further information about this. However, you must still list grammar schools on your Staffordshire application otherwise it will not be classed as a valid application.