Applying for Secondary School
How to apply
Applications for September 2020 start
Children born between 1 September 2008 and 31 August 2009 are due to start year seven at secondary school in September 2020.
Use the eAdmissions website from 1 September to apply online for your child’s secondary school place.
You can name up to six schools in your application including academy or free schools and schools in other council areas.
The closing date for applications is 31 October 2019.
If you do not live in the borough, you need to apply through your own council and you can include Kingston schools in your application.
If you still need to apply for a school place after the Admissions website has closed in July, please contact the School Admissions team for a paper application.
When making your application in eAdmissions you should:
- Complete a separate application for each child if you are applying for twins or triplets.
- Tell us in your application if your child has a brother or sister (sibling) attending your preferred school(s) in September 2020.
Things to check:
- Certain schools need additional information to apply their admissions criteria and may require you to also complete a Supplementary Information Form. For example, schools that prioritise applications by faith. If you are applying for this type of school, please check the school's website for further information and to download a Supplementary Information Form.
- If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), you don't need to complete the application - see our information about Special Educational Needs.
Be fully informed before you apply
Read our admissions brochure before you apply. The brochure for entry in September 2020 will be available from 1 September 2019. If you have any difficulty completing your application, please contact the School Admissions Team.
Please visit individual secondary school's websites for information on how places are allocated.
How secondary school places were allocated in the last three years
To find out how places were allocated in the last three years, please visit individual Kingston school websites.
Applying for a place at any other time of the year (In Year application)
If you're not applying for a year seven place in September 2020 you should read Apply for a secondary school (during the school year).
Atypical admissions
The government has recently instructed all local authorities to inform parents and carers of all pupils in Year 9 about schools that are within travelling distance of the local authority area that admit pupils at the beginning of Year 10.
The government wants parents and carers to be well informed about all the options available for children of this age.
This does not mean that parents have to move their child to another school after Year 9. For the great majority of children, the school they are already attending will remain the most appropriate place for them to continue their education.
Schools which admit pupils in Year 10 are called University Technical Colleges (UTCs) or Studio Schools.
Key dates for admission in September 2020
2019
Sunday 1 September Online applications are open via www.eadmissions.org.uk
Thursday 31 October Closing date for receipt of online and paper applications, including supplementary forms
Wednesday 11 December Latest date for applications from people moving into the borough after 31 October 2019
2020
Monday 2 March Online applicants will be sent an email during the evening (National Offer Day) informing them of the result of their application Letters are posted first class giving the results of applications. Please see Step 6: Being offered a place
Monday 16 March Date by which parents must accept or decline the offer
Thursday 26 March Further offers made from this date onwards subject to places becoming available
Monday 20 April Closing date for receipt of community school appeals This date may vary for academies and the free school May/June Admission appeals are heard
Wednesday 1 July Year 6 pupils visit their new secondary school
Wednesday 2 September Start of the autumn term
Dates of open events for Kingston schools
Open evenings
Chessington Community College Thursday 26 September 6.15-9.00pm
Coombe Boys’ School Wednesday 9 October 6.30-9.00pm
Coombe Girls’ School Wednesday 2 October 6.00-9.00pm
The Hollyfield School Thursday 3 October 6.00-9.00pm
The Holy Cross School Monday 30 September 5.30-8.00pm
The Kingston Academy Thursday 10 October 5.00-8.00pm
Richard Challoner School Thursday 3 October 6.00-8.30pm
Southborough High School Wednesday 2 October 6.30pm onwards
Tolworth Girls’ School & Sixth Form Wednesday 9 October 6.00-8.30pm
Open mornings and visits
Contact details for each school can be found on pages 5 to 6
Chessington School Other arrangements Daytime tours available by appointment.
Coombe Boys’ School Open mornings Thursday 10 and Friday 11 October, 9.00 to 10.00am.
Coombe Girls’ School Open morning Thursday 3 October from 9.30 to 11.00am.
The Hollyfield School Open mornings Tuesday 1, 8 and 15 October at 9.15am and 11.05am, Friday 11 October at 9.15am and 11.05am, and Thursday 17 October at 9.15am and 11.05am.
Step 1: Understanding the admission process
You can apply for up to six schools, academies or free schools (state-funded schools) on one form. You must list the schools in the Kingston borough and in other council areas, in the order that you prefer them.
You should check if you need to complete a supplementary information form for the schools you are applying for. If the school is outside Kingston borough, please refer to the relevant local authority or contact the school.
Please apply online (preferably) or on a paper form, not both (see page 14). If you apply online, you will find out which school you have been offered on 2 March 2020.
If you apply on a paper form, you will receive a letter after 2 March, which will be sent by first class post on 2 March 2020.
School preferences
The order of preference in which you list your schools is confidential. Schools are not told the preference order in which you have listed them.
Each school listed on your application considers your child’s application against its admission criteria only and not according to the order of preference you put the school on your application. This guarantees that, for example, an application from a parent who has ranked the school as sixth preference is considered equally to an application where the school is ranked as first preference.
If your child meets the admission criteria for more than one school, your home council will look at your preference order and you will be offered the highest preference school for which your child has met the admission criteria.
If your home council is not able to offer your child a place at any of the schools you applied for, you will be offered, where possible, a place at another school.
Order of preference
You should think carefully about your order of preference when you decide how to list the schools you are applying for. This is because if your child qualifies for a place at a number of schools, you will only be made one offer at the school that you named as a higher preference. 10 If you apply for selective schools, please be aware that even if your child qualifies for a place, your child will not be offered a place at a selective school if they have also qualified for a school that you list as a higher preference on your application. If you are applying to more than one selective school, you should list the schools in the order that you prefer them.The following examples illustrate the importance of the order of preference.
School Admissions Team
School Admissions can be contacted Monday to Friday between 8.45am and 2pm.
School Admissions
Guildhall 2
Kingston upon Thames
KT1 1EU
Telephone:020 8547 4610