Secondary Transition
Starting secondary school September 2025
If you have a child born between 1 September 2013 and 31 August 2014, you must apply for your child to start secondary school in September 2025.
Every family must apply to their home borough. This means if a family live in Hillingdon you must apply through Hilingdon Council, if you live in Hertfordshire you must apply through Hertfordshire Council, even if your child attends a junior or primary school in Hillingdon. Remember, parents/carers must apply for a place, even if:
- They want their child to go to the local school.
OR
- Their child has an older brother or sister at the school.
The law does not allow us to reserve secondary school places.
What you need to do
- Read and make sure you understand the admissions process.
- Go to open evenings and open days for as many schools as possible, not just the schools you are thinking about.
- Read all the information about all the schools you are thinking about as well as your local schools.
- Make sure you read each schools admission criteria. The admission criteria are the rules that schools use to decide which applications to accept and which to turn down if they are over-subscribed (that is, when they receive more applications than there are spaces at the school).
- Practice the journey to each of the schools you are considering and think about what it will be like in the winter when it gets dark early.
- Find out about the cost of travel, remembering ZIP Oyster cards only provide free travel on buses and trams.
- Find out if there are any extra forms called supplementary information forms (SIF) that your preferred schools need. If so, send these forms and documents they ask for direct to the schools or local authorities before the closing date.
- Use all your 6 preferences and list (rank) the schools in the order you prefer. School number 1 is the one you want the most, then school 2, then school 3 and so on.
- Fill in and submit the online common application form by the closing date. Do not leave it until the last day to apply.
- If your application is late, you are less likely to get a place at the school you prefer.
Key Dates:
Monday 31st October 2024 Applications deadline
Monday 31st October 2024 Midnight online applications deadline
Wednesday 3rd March 2025 Offer day
Wednesday 17th March 2025 Acceptance deadline
Please see click on the links below for information on how to apply for a Year 7 place in 2024 in Hillingdon, Hertfordshire and Harrow.
Hillingdon Residents
https://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/secondary
Hertfordshire Residents
https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/school-admissions/secondary-and-upper-schools/secondary-and-upper-school-places.aspx
Harrow Residents
https://www.harrow.gov.uk/schools-learning/apply-secondary-school-place