Secondary school admissions

About admission arrangements

Full details of the admission arrangements for entry to Richmond upon Thames secondary schools in September 2009 can be found in the Council's Admission to Secondary School brochure(pdf, 1658KB). To get a copy of the brochure, or to make any enquiry regarding secondary school admissions, please telephone the Council's Admissions Section on 020 8891 7514.

Online secondary admissions applications

The online portal for 2009/2010 secondary admissions will open on Monday 1 September 2008.

Visit the online secondary admissions portal. For more information, please visit the online admissions webpage

You should note that some (mostly faith or selective) secondary schools - including Christ's School if you would like a 'Foundation' place for your child there - require you to complete a supplementary form which you should obtain from, and return to, the school concerned. Christ's School's supplementary form can be dowloaded here: Christ's supplementary form(pdf, 25KB).

The timetable for the application process for 2009 admissions is outlined below:

• From Monday 1 September 2008: You can apply online from this date.
• By Friday 24 October 2008: Your application - either online or the paper form - must be received by the School Admissions Section by the end of this day. The online admissions portal will close at midnight.
• Monday 2 March 2009: The Admissions Section will send you a letter, by first class post, to let you know the result of your application.
• Tuesday 3 March 2009: If you applied online, you will be able to log in to the online admissions portal from 9am to find out the result of your application, if you have not received the letter by then.
• Monday 16 March 2009: Closing-date for receipt of reply-slips indicating whether or not you wish to accept the school place offered.
• May/June: Appeals heard.

Admission arrangements for entry into secondary school are coordinated across London and beyond. 33 London boroughs and four counties bordering the capital coordinate secondary school admissions with the aim of ensuring, as far as possible, that each child is offered just one state school place.

This means that LAs exchange details for any children whose parents/carers have applied for state schools within their administrative areas and they then make offers of places on the same date, 1 March - National Offer Day. (Please note, though, that the date will be 2 March for 2009 admissions.)

In the past, there has been no requirement for LAs and schools to confer with each other, resulting in many parents receiving more than one state school place for their children. They have then taken a long time 'sitting' on offers without telling the LAs or schools which they have decided to accept. This has meant that places have not been freed up quickly for other children who needed them.

Under the new system, all parents apply, on one common application form, for up to six community schools (including voluntary aided and foundations schools). These schools can be in or out-borough, but the form must be returned to the Admission Section of the borough in which the child lives. Information is then exchanged between the LAs and one offer is made at the highest ranking of your preferences, if any, at which a place is available.

Coordination has put an end to multiple offers, for the benefit of the children. If your child does not live within Richmond Borough, you should ensure that you obtain and complete the application form of the local authrority in which your child lives.

Personal information policy and validity of information given

The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (the “Council”) respects your privacy rights and is committed to ensuring that it protects your details, the information about your dealings with the Council and other information about you available to the Council (“your information”).

In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, the Council will use your information, for the purpose of processing your application for a school place, to: (a) deal with your requests and administer its departmental functions; (b) meet its statutory obligations; and (c) prevent and detect fraud.

The Council may share your information (but only the minimum amount of information necessary to do the above and only where it is lawful to do so) with other departments within the Council (including the elected members), the School Nursing Service, central government departments, law enforcement agencies, statutory and judicial bodies, community services providers and contractors that process data on its behalf.

The Council may also use and disclose information, that does not identify individuals, for research and strategic development purposes.

In the case of any application that you make, it will be assumed that the information that you give is true to the best of your knowledge and belief and that you understand that if you give any false or deliberately misleading information, or deliberately withhold any relevant information, on the online application form and/or supporting papers, your application may be invalid and could lead to the withdrawal of an offer of a school place.