The information in this brochure relates to the school year beginning September 2020 and applying for an

in-year place during the period September 2019 to July 2020.

This information was correct in August 2019. However, some of the details given may change during the
year.
Responsibility for information printed here relating to academies or the free school lies with the governing
body of the school concerned and not with Kingston Council.

The application for admission in September 2020 to The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames schools
must only be completed by Kingston borough residents and, if a paper form is completed, sent to:
School Admissions, Achieving for Children, Guildhall 2, Kingston KT1 1EU
T: 020 8547 4610
E: [email protected]
W: www.kingston.gov.uk
Applications for in-year admission must be made to the borough in which the school is situated.
Please see page 18 for information about in-year admission.
Contents
Section 1: School in Kingston
Types of school in Kingston and key dates 2
Map of Kingston secondary schools 3
List of schools 5
Dates of open events for Kingston schools 7
Key dates for the admission process in September 2020 8
Section 2: Six steps in applying for a secondary school place 9
Step 1: Understanding the admission process 9
Step 2: Collecting information about schools 10
Step 3: Deciding which schools to apply for/admissions criteria 11
Step 4: Completing your application including child’s home address 14
Step 5: Submitting your application 17
Step 6: Being offered a place 17
Section 3: Applying for a school place during the school year September 2019 to July 2020 18
In-year admissions 18
Fair access protocol 18
Section 4: Appeals 19
Section 5: Schools that admit pupils at the beginning of Year 10 20
Section 6: Sixth form and post-16 education 20
Section 7: Schools in other council areas 21
Schools in other council areas 21
Independent schools 21

1
Section 1
Schools in Kingston
Types of school in Kingston and key dates
There are 11 secondary schools in Kingston upon Thames.

Community schools
Community schools are maintained by the Council. At community schools, the Council sets the admission
policy, including the admission criteria. Chessington School is the only community secondary school.

Academies
An academy is a school that is run by an academy trust and its governors and is funded entirely by central
government.
Coombe Boys’ School, Coombe Girls’ School, The Hollyfield School, The Holy Cross School,
Richard Challoner School, Southborough High School, The Tiffin Girls’ School, Tiffin School and
Tolworth Girls’ School are academies.

Free schools
Like academies, free schools are independent of the local authority and are funded directly by central
government. The Kingston Academy opened in September 2015 and is the only secondary free school in
Kingston upon Thames.
You can find more information about the schools in the borough by looking at the Council’s website at
www.kingston.gov.uk

2
Map of Kingston secondary schools

3
4
Secondary School
in the borough
1 Chessington School
2 Coombe Boys’ School
3 Coombe Girl’s School
4 Richard Challoner School (RC)
5 Southborough High School
6 The Hollyfield School
7 The Holy Cross School (RC)
8 The Kingston Academy
9 The Tiffin Girl’s School
10 Tiffin School
11 Tolworth Girls’ School
List of schools
Chessington School DfE NUMBER: 314 4006
Garrison Lane, Chessington KT9 2JS
T: 020 8974 1156
E: [email protected]
W: www.chessington.kingston.sch.uk
Standard intake: 135 students
Headteacher: Mr A Ali, MA Education, NPQH

Coombe Boys’ School DfE NUMBER 314 5403

College Gardens, Blakes Lane, New Malden KT3 6NU
T: 020 8949 1537
E: [email protected]
W: www.coombeboysschool.org
Standard intake: 180 students
Headteacher: Mr D Smith BA (Hons), NPQH

Coombe Girls’ School DfE NUMBER: 314 4004

Clarence Avenue, New Malden KT3 3TU
T: 020 8942 1242
E: [email protected]
W: www.coombegirlsschool.org
Standard intake: 240 students
Headteacher: Mr A Platt BA Hons, MA Ed

The Hollyfield School DfE NUMBER: 314 5404

Surbiton Hill Road
Surbiton KT6 4TU
T: 020 8339 4500
E: [email protected]
W: www.hollyfield.kingston.sch.uk
Standard intake: 210 pupils
Headteacher: Mr T Maltby BA (Hons), MA, NPQH

The Holy Cross School DfE NUMBER: 314 5402

Sandal Road, New Malden KT3 5AR
T: 020 8395 4225
E: [email protected]
W: www.holycross.kingston.sch.uk
Standard intake: 150 students
Headteacher: Mr T Gibson BSc (Hons) DipEd Med NPQH

The Kingston Academy DfE NUMBER: 314 4001

Richmond Road, Kingston upon Thames KT2 5PE
T: 020 8465 6200
E: [email protected]
W: www.thekingstonacademy.org
Standard intake: 180 students
Headteacher: Ms S M Cavanagh MEd NPQH

5
Richard Challoner School DfE NUMBER: 314 5401
Manor Drive North, New Malden KT3 5PE
T: 020 8330 5947
E: [email protected]
W: www.richardchalloner.com
Standard intake: 150 students
Headteacher: Mr S Maher BA (Hons)

Southborough High School DfE NUMBER: 314 4009

Hook Road, Surbiton KT6 5AS
T: 020 8391 4324
E: [email protected]
W: www.southborough.kingston.sch.uk
Standard intake: 135 students
Headteacher: Mr N Smith, MA (Cantab)

Tolworth Girls’ School & Sixth Form DfE NUMBER: 314 4011
Fullers Way North, Surbiton KT6 7LQ
T: 020 8397 3854
E: [email protected]
W: www.tolworthgirlsschool.co.uk
Standard intake: 240 students
Headteacher: Mrs S Lowe BSc (Hons), NPQH

The Tiffin Girls’ School DfE NUMBER: 314 4010

Richmond Road, Kingston upon Thames KT2 5PL
T: 020 8546 0773
E: [email protected]
W: www.tiffingirls.org
Standard intake: 180 students
Headteacher: Mr I Keary BA (Hons), NPQH

Tiffin School DfE NUMBER: 314 5400

Queen Elizabeth Road, Kingston upon Thames KT2 6RL
T: 020 8546 4638
E: [email protected]
W: www.tiffin.kingston.sch.uk
Standard intake: 180 students
Headteacher: Mr M D Gascoigne BA

6
Dates of open events for Kingston schools
Open evenings
Chessington School 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 The Kingston Academy

Other arrangements Other arrangements
Daytime tours available by appointment. Daytime school tours can be booked by contacting
the school office.
Coombe Boys’ School
Open mornings Richard Challoner School
Thursday 10 and Friday 11 October, Open morning
9.00 to 10.00am. Thursday 17 October, 9.15am.
Please call the school for an appointment.
Coombe Girls’ School
Open morning Southborough High School
Thursday 3 October from 9.30 to 11.00am. Open days
Please call the school to book a daytime tour.
The Hollyfield School
Open mornings Tolworth Girls’ School and Sixth Form
Tuesday 1, 8 and 15 October at 9.15am and Open weeks
11.05am, Friday 11 October at 9.15am and Monday 7 to Friday 18 October. Tours of the
11.05am, and Thursday 17 October at 9.15am and school will take place during the mornings at
11.05am. Please call the school for an 8.40, 9.40 and 11.10am. (No tours will take place
appointment. on Wednesday 9 October.) Please call the school
to book a tour.
The Holy Cross School
Other arrangements
Please contact the school to book a daytime tour.

7
Key date for the admission process for September 2020 entry
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 (exact date and time to be advised by
each school)

8
Section 2
Six steps in applying for a secondary school place
Children born between 1 September 2008 and 31 August 2009 are eligible to transfer to secondary school
in September 2020. You apply for a school place through your home council. This is the council area where
you live and to which you pay Council Tax.

Children with special educational needs or an education, health and care plan
If your child has an education, health and care plan (EHCP), you should not complete the application form
as your application will be dealt with by the Special Educational Needs Team. To contact the SEN Team
please phone 020 8547 5872.

If your child is undergoing an education health care needs assessment, but it is not yet complete, please fill
in the online or paper application. If you are in any doubt whether to complete a school application form,
please contact School Admissions.

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.

9
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.
Example 1 - girls
Preference School Qualify for place? Outcome
1st The Holy Cross School No Waiting list
2nd The Kingston Academy Yes Offered
3rd Nonsuch High School Yes Withdrawn
4th Coombe Girls’ School Yes Withdrawn
5th Raynes Park High School Yes Withdrawn
6th Tolworth Girls’ School & Sixth Form No Withdrawn

Example 2 - boys
Preference School Qualify for place? School offered
1st Grey Court School Yes Offered
2nd Tiffin School Yes Withdrawn
3rd Southborough High School No Withdrawn
4th Chessington School Yes Withdrawn
5th Richard Challoner School No Withdrawn
6th Coombe Boys’ School Yes Withdrawn

Changing your order of preference

If you wish to change your preferences after the closing date or you wish to change the preference order,
please note all your preferences will be considered as late applications and considered after all on-time
applications.

Step 2: Collecting information about schools

You should gather as much information as possible before you decide which schools you want to apply for.
 Read about Kingston schools. If you wish to apply for schools in other council areas, contact the relevant
council for information on their secondary schools. Contact details for neighbouring councils are in
Section 7 on page 21.
 Contact schools to obtain their prospectuses.
 Look at the schools’ admission procedures historical patterns of admissions on their websites and for
information on their open events.
 Visit schools and attend their open evenings. Some schools also have open days when you can see the
school operating during a normal school day. Most schools will make other arrangements if you are
unable to attend either of these opportunities. Check the individual school’s pages or contact the school
for details.
 Further information about schools and links to each school’s inspection reports and school performance
tables are available via each school’s website or on Kingston Council’s website www.kingston.gov.uk
 Speak to your child’s primary school headteacher for advice.
 Consider your child’s particular interests, abilities and views on the schools visited.
 Check that daily travel to and from school is possible within a reasonable time. Check the Transport for
London www.tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey. You can also phone their 24 hour travel information line on
020 7222 1234.

10
Step 3: Deciding which schools to apply for
The admission criteria
If there are fewer applicants than places available for a school, every applicant will be offered a place.
If there are more applications received than there are places available, the school will use admission
criteria (rules) to work out which children can be offered places in this order of priority (after taking
account of any children for whom the school is named in an education, health and care plan, formerly
known as a statement of special educational needs).
Admission criteria are also known as oversubscription criteria and show the order in which places will be
allocated. The criteria for Kingston secondary schools are on the individual schools’ websites.
Admission criteria vary depending on the type of school you are applying for. For example, schools
that have faith-based criteria may require a supplementary information form and/or a reference from a
parish priest or other minister of religion. If you are applying for a place at one of these schools, make sure
you understand their admission criteria. Any questions you have about admission to these schools should
be addressed directly to the school.
Please look carefully at the admission criteria and how places were offered in previous years for each
school. For example, if your application is considered under the distance criterion, your chances of
obtaining a place at a school a long way from where you live may be less than at a school nearer your
home. You should name your nearest non-selective school (a school that will consider your application on
home to school distance) as one of your preferences and to use all six preferences. This will maximise your
chances of being offered a preferred school.
How places were offered in the last three years
You will find details of how places were offered at each secondary school in Kingston on the individual
schools’ websites. Please note these are indicative only and cannot be interpreted as definite rules.
Criteria for Chessington School, Hollyfield School and The Kingston Academy
These criteria will be applied to every application for the schools listed above and named as a
preference on the application. The same criteria are used to rank applications remaining on a school’s
waiting list. Please see individual school’s criteria on the school’s website.
(i) Places will be offered firstly to looked after children and previously looked after children
Applications made under this criterion must be accompanied by details of circumstances and
professionally supported evidence (such as from a social worker).
(ii) Places will be offered next to children who have a brother or sister (sibling), including an adopted,
foster, half or step brother or sister, living at the same address and attending the same school at the
time of admission.
(iii) Places will then be offered in cases of exceptional family, social or medical need (which must be
described on the application form and verified by professionally supported evidence) that makes the
school concerned the most suitable one for the individual child.
(iv) Places will be offered to children of staff (by which is meant full, step, half, and adopted siblings living
in the same household) directly employed by the school for two years or more before the admission
application and at the point of admission and/or is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a
demonstrable skill shortage.
(v) The remaining places will be offered to children who live nearest to the school as measured by a
straight line to the nearest school gate. All distances will be measured using School Admissions’
computerised geographical information system.
For applicants who live the same distance from the school, random selection by the drawing of lots is used
as a final tie-breaker.
Explanation of each criterion
(i) Looked after children or previously looked after children

11
To qualify for the highest priority, currently looked after and previously looked after children are defined
as:
 children who are in the care of a local authority, or being provided with accommodation by a local
authority in the exercise of their social services functions in accordance with Section 22 of the Children
Act 1989, at the time an application for a school is made
 children who were previously in the care of a local authority immediately before they were adopted
under the Adoption and Children Act 2002, or became subject to a child arrangements order or special
guardianship order
Required evidence for a looked after child
If you are applying for a child who is currently in the care of a local authority, you must provide:
• a written statement from the child’s social worker which confirms that:
• the child is currently a looked after child and is subject to a Section 20 Children Act 1989 agreement
(signed by parent(s) and the local authority) or a current interim care order, or a current final care
order
• the name of the local authority the child has been placed in the care of
• the child is currently placed with a foster carer or in local authority accommodation
Required evidence for a previously looked after child
If you are applying for a child who was previously in the care of a local authority, you will need to provide
the following evidence according to your child’s circumstances below:
• for adopted children, you must provide:
• an adoption order made under section 46 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002, including the
schedule which confirms details of the date and place of birth, and the placement of the child.
Please note: children adopted from overseas are not classified as children in public care and
therefore will not be considered under this criterion
• for children subject to a special guardianship order you must provide:
• a written statement from the local authority where the child was previously in care confirming the
child was in local authority care immediately before a special guardianship order was made
• a special guardianship order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian(s),
under section 14A of the Children Act 1989
• for children subject to a child arrangements order you must provide:
• a written statement from the local authority where the child was previously in care confirming the
child was in local authority care immediately before a child arrangements order was made
• a child arrangements order settling the arrangements to be made as to the person with whom the
child is to live with under section 8 of the Children Act 1989 (as amended by section 12 of the
Children and Families Act)
(ii) Brother or sister (sibling) attending the school
If you have an older child including an adopted, foster, half or step brother or sister, currently attending
your preferred secondary school who will still be attending in September 2020, living with you at the same
address as the child you are applying for, make sure you give that child’s details on your application under
sibling details.
Please note that your older child must be on roll at the same school and will be on roll at the time your
child will be admitted.

12
(iii) Exceptional family, social or medical need
All Kingston schools have experience of dealing with children with different social and medical needs.
There will only be a few cases when a child has to go to a specific school for exceptional family, social or
medical reasons.

Please note that if your child has special educational needs or if your child may need additional support in
school, but does not have an education, health and care plan (EHCP), it is not possible to consider their
application for a higher priority under this criterion.

Please note: Support for a child’s educational needs can be met at any of our schools. Therefore, we do
not consider educational reasons under this criterion. Requests for priority under this criterion are
considered by the school you are applying for.

Please submit supporting documentary evidence, with a covering letter, directly to the school you are
applying for. Do not attach it to your application if applying online or on a paper application form.

If you feel there are any exceptional medical, family and/or social reasons why your child must attend a
particular school, you must complete the ‘reasons for preference’ box for that school and provide reasons
and supporting evidence from a relevant professional such as a doctor and/or consultant for medical cases
or a social worker, health visitor, housing officer, the police or probation officer for other social
circumstances. This evidence must confirm the circumstances of the case and must set out why the child
can only attend a particular school and why no other school could meet the child’s needs.

Providing evidence does not guarantee that a child will be given priority at a particular school. In each
case a decision will be made based on the merits of the case and whether the evidence demonstrates
that a placement should be made at one particular school above any other.

Family, social or medical priority would normally only be given in exceptional circumstances if the child or
a close family member has an illness or disability, or if there are any other exceptional reasons that mean
that one school is more suitable than another. For the purposes of this criterion, the meaning of disability
is pursuant to Section 6 and Schedule 1, Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010. You must provide this supporting
evidence by the closing date, 31 October 2019. All applications are considered individually and must
include the following:

 specific medical evidence that gives reasons and provides supporting information why only one school
can meet a child’s individual needs. This can be from a professional such as a GP, hospital consultant or
specialist or any other medical professional, social worker, educational psychologist
 evidence and reasons that explain the family’s exceptional circumstances, including social reasons why
only one school can meet the child’s needs and why those needs cannot be met at any other school

If the requested school is not the nearest school to the child’s home address, provide clear reasons with
supporting evidence to show why the nearest school is not appropriate.

Evidence should make clear why only one school is appropriate and the effect on your child if they do not
attend this school.

Schools do not consider reasons such as your place of work, childcare arrangements or previous family
connections to be strong enough to be considered under this criterion. All applicants applying under this
criterion are advised that the evidence provided to support their application must be as detailed and
objective as possible.

13
(iv) Children of staff
Children are defined as full, step, half, and adopted siblings living in the same household. Staff should be
directly employed by the school for two years or more before the admission application and at the point of
admission and/or recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage. We will
confirm your status with the school concerned.
(v) Distance from home to school
If your application is likely to be considered under the distance criterion, try to consider whether you live
close enough to the school for your child to qualify for a place. The cut-off distance for admissions for 2019,
made on 1 March 2019, has been included in the table on the individual school’s websites. This describes
the pattern of admission by criteria for the school. Please note the furthest distance offered is as at the
initial allocation date 1 March 2019.
However, this is only a guide as the cut-off distances vary from year-to-year. Even if you live within the cut-
off distances, there is no guarantee your child will obtain a place there for next September.
Measuring home to school distance
The Council uses a standard method of measuring home to school distance in a straight line using the
School Admissions’ computerised geographical information system and data supplied by Ordnance Survey.
The starting point of the measurement is a grid reference point within the property, which is supplied by
Ordnance Survey. The end point is measured to the named school gate or nearest school gate where the
school has more than one school gate. Residents of every floor level in a particular block of flats are given
an identical starting point, regardless of the distance to ground floor level.

Step 4: Completing your application

Apply online from 1 September 2019 and by the closing date of 31 October 2019
You should apply online by going to www.eadmissions.org.uk. However, if any of the schools you are
applying for requires a supplementary information form, you will also need to complete this and send it to
the address stated on the form. If you do not have internet access at home, it is free to apply online at any
library in Kingston or you can ask about facilities at your child’s primary school.
If you wish to apply online you must have an email address. The eAdmissions website has a link for you to
register for a free email account.
You will be sent an email with a reference number to confirm that your application has been received. The
reference number will look like this: 314-2019-09-E-001234. If you do not receive an email with a reference
number, it means your application has not been submitted and you should log back into the eAdmissions
system and submit your application (or you may need to adjust your email software to receive ‘no reply’
emails). You may find it useful to note down your details here and keep this in a safe place.

Email address
Username
Password
Application reference

If you have any difficulty registering for online applications, please use the frequently asked questions
(FAQ) section at the top of the eAdmissions web pages. If you still need help to register, please contact the
Technical Support Desk, using the link on the FAQ page. This is the quickest way to get help. Alternatively,
you can phone 020 8255 5555 and chose option 1 to speak to someone on the support desk.
On the evening of 2 March 2020, you will be sent an email advising you of the result of your application.
After you receive this email, you will be able to log on and view your application result online and accept
or decline your offer of a school place online.

14
If you have applied online and you have not been offered your first preference school, you will also receive
a letter with detailed information about the result of your application and what to do next.
Completing a paper application form
We recommend that you apply online if possible. However, if you are unable to do so, you should complete
Kingston Council’s application form that you can obtain by phoning School Admissions on 020 8547 4610.
If you apply on paper, you will receive a letter which will be sent by first class post on 2 March 2020 giving
you the outcome of your application.
Only make one application either online OR on paper, NOT both. If we receive more than one application
for the same child, we will consider the most recent application received by the closing date.

Late applications
Applications received after the closing date of 31 October 2019 will only be considered after all applications
received by the closing date – unless you are able to provide proof that there were exceptional reasons
that prevented you from applying on time and only up to 11 December 2019. All applications received after
11 December will only be considered after those received by the closing date.
Moving into Kingston upon Thames before the allocation process
If you move into the area after the closing date, but before 11 December 2019 and you can provide
documentary evidence to confirm this, your application will be processed at the same time as those
applications received by 31 October 2019.
If you move into the area after 11 December 2019, your application will only be considered after those
received by the closing date. Please note, no changes can be made at all after this date. However, if we are
unable to offer your child a place at one of your preferred schools on 2 March 2020, their name will be
placed on the school’s waiting list in criteria order.
Applying for a school place after the allocation process
If you apply for a school place or move into the area after the allocation of places, you will still be able to
apply and name up to six preferences. We will offer you a place at one of your preferred schools if this is
possible. If all the places at your preferred schools have been allocated, your child’s name will be added to
waiting lists in criteria order. You and your child must be living at the address you use on your application.

Department for Education (DfE) number

You will need this for a paper application only.
• For Kingston’s secondary schools, each number is listed on pages 5 to 6.
• For secondary schools in other areas, please see page 21 for details of councils bordering this borough.
You should also be able to find this information in the relevant council’s admissions brochure.

Supplementary information forms

A supplementary information form is only required when a school needs additional information to apply its
admission criteria or if your child is being tested for a selective school. The following Kingston schools have
supplementary information forms: The Holy Cross School, Richard Challoner School, The Tiffin Girls’ School
and Tiffin School.
You can download the forms for The Holy Cross School and Richard Challoner School from the schools’
websites. Please return the completed form to the school. For The Tiffin Girls’ School and Tiffin School,
the supplementary form is available electronically and you should register online by going to the relevant
school’s website.
Please check whether any schools you are applying for in other council areas require a supplementary
information form to be completed. If you apply to a school that requires a supplementary information
form, and you do not complete and return the form, the school will still consider your application along
with those applications that were supported by a supplementary information form. However, as it may
not be possible for the school to consider your application using their criteria, this could reduce your
child’s chances of being offered a place.

15
Child’s home address
To ensure that offers of school places are made correctly and fairly, the Council is committed to following
strict address verification procedure. We will therefore validate the address by checking Council records
to confirm that the address you have given in your application is your child’s permanent home address.
If there are any doubts about your address details we may request further evidence. It is your
responsibility, as the applicant, to provide evidence, when requested, to support your application.

The Council will investigate any applications where there are doubts about the information provided or
where information has been received that suggests a fraudulent or misleading application has been made.
Before we make our decision as to whether we will accept an address or not, we will consider your
circumstances in accordance with the guidance set out below, which should be read in its entirety.

We may seek evidence from Council records, schools or any other source we consider appropriate.
The Council may refer cases to the Internal Audit and Investigation Service for further investigation,
and may make a home visit. This could lead to legal action.
Proof of address
In order to prioritise applications correctly, we will verify that home to school distances are being measured
using the child’s correct home address.

You are not permitted to use a temporary address to secure a school place for your child. This includes a
business address, a childminder’s address, or any other address, including that of a family member or
friend.

The address you give on your application must be the one where your child is living permanently.
An application can only be made from a single address and only a single application made for each child.
You cannot apply from an address until you and your child have moved into the property. If there are
doubts about the permanence of the address on your application, we will investigate further.
 If you are connected to more than one address, for example, you own a property and are renting and
living in another, we may not be able to use your rental address for your application. We will consider
the individual circumstances and make an evidence based decision.
 If you own two or more properties, you will need to demonstrate which is your permanent family
home.
 If you rent out a property you own or put it up for sale, please note, this address could be used to apply
the home to school distance criterion.
 Where parents live separately, the application must be based on the address where the child lives most
of the time. Where the child lives equally with both parents at different addresses, we will require
evidence of your care arrangements. We will consider all available evidence that you provide to
support your application so we can decide which address we will use to process your application.
 If you move at any time during the admissions process (the admissions process covers the entire
period from submitting your application to your child starting school), you must inform the School
Admissions Team immediately. Please inform us of the circumstances of your move to ensure that
places are offered fairly and correctly.
 If you move to a new address and have advised us, once our address verification checks have been
made, we will revise your child’s position on the waiting lists for each of the schools that you prefer
so that your application is considered correctly following this change of circumstances.
 If you are a member of UK Services personnel (HM Forces or Crown Servants), please see the
information on page 17.

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If an offer of a school place is made on the basis of false or misleading information, the Council reserves
the right to withdraw the offer at any stage during the admission process. The admission process refers
to the time from when you submit your application to the time your child starts school. In disputed cases
we will make a judgment based on evidence available to us.

If you suspect that a parent has applied using an address that the child does not live at, please do not
hesitate to let us know by phoning 020 8547 4610. Any information received will be treated in strictest
confidence.

Children of UK service personnel

If you are an HM Forces family with a confirmed posting to this area, or a UK Crown Servant returning to
this area, you can apply for a Year 7 school place for September 2020 by the closing date of 31 October
2019. This is provided your application is accompanied by official documentary evidence from your
employer that confirms a relocation date and your address in Kingston. The date you take up your post
must be before the beginning of term in September 2020. If you are applying for a school place for your
child other than to start year 7 in September 2020, please see Section 3.
Step 5: Submitting your application
The closing date for receipt of your application and any supplementary information forms is 31 October
2019. If you apply on a paper form, we strongly advise you to submit your application by post allowing
enough time so that we receive it by Friday 25 October 2019. This is the Friday before the half term
holiday.
Before you submit your application please check that you:
 are familiar with the admission criteria for each school you are applying for
 are clear on the order you want to list the schools you are applying for
 do not waste a preference by naming a school where your child is unlikely to qualify for a place
 have considered naming your nearest non-selective school and you have used all six preferences, as this
will increase your chances of obtaining a place for your child at one of your preferred schools
Parents’ and carers’ declaration
Please read through the checklist carefully and ensure you read the declaration before submitting your
application by the closing date.

Step 6: Being offered a place

Your application outcome
If your child meets the admission criteria for only one of the schools you applied for, your home council will
offer you a place at that school, whatever borough or county the school is in.

If your child meets the admission criteria for more than one school, your home council will look at your
order of preference and offer you a place at the school that you have given higher preference to on your
application.

If your child does not meet the admission criteria for any of the schools you applied for and you are a
Kingston borough resident, Kingston Council will offer you a place at another school where possible.
This school will be the nearest Kingston school to your home address with places remaining.

If you applied online, you will be sent an email with the outcome of your application during the evening of
2 March 2020. You will also be able to log on to the eAdmissions website www.eadmissions.org.uk to view
the outcome during the evening of 2 March 2020.

If you applied on paper, you will not be able to access the result of your application electronically. You will
be sent a letter by first class post on 2 March 2020.

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If you applied online and have been offered your first preference school, you will not receive a letter.
You must however accept or decline this offer online by going to www.eadmissions.org.uk and selecting
‘view outcome and respond’.
If you applied online and have not been offered your first preference school, you will also be sent a letter
by first class post on 2 March 2020 that will give you more information about the process and what to do
next.

You must accept or decline your offer by 16 March 2020, either through the eAdmissions system if you
applied online, or on the reply slip if you applied on paper.

From 26 March 2020, we will re-offer any Kingston school places that may have become vacant since
original offers were made, in accordance with the individual school’s admission criteria.

Waiting lists for Kingston schools

Your child’s name will automatically be put on the waiting list, in criteria order, of any school that is a
higher preference than the school they have been offered. The names of late applicants will be added to
waiting lists in criteria order regardless of the date the application was received.
Waiting list positions are subject to change. You should be aware that if an application is received for a
child who has higher priority under the school’s admission criteria, it can affect your child’s position on a
waiting list. They can move down as well as up the list. The waiting list for Chessington School will be held
in criteria order (regardless of when an application is received or where the school is ranked in terms of
preference) until the end of the academic year in July 2020. After this date, parents will have to request in
writing to have their child’s name remain on the waiting list for the school. For waiting list arrangements at
academies and the free school, please contact the school for details.
Waiting lists for schools in other council areas
Schools in other areas may operate their waiting lists in a different way to this council. Please check if you
are applying for a school in another area as to what arrangements they will follow.

Section 3
Applying for a school place at any time during the school year
September 2019 to July 2020 (known as ‘In-year admissions’).
Whether you are moving to Kingston or would like your child to move schools within Kingston, please use
the link below to read the frequently asked questions before completing your in-year application.
www.kingston.gov.uk/faqs_for_schooling_in_kingston_borough

Fair access protocol

The Council and all secondary schools including academies and free schools in Kingston upon Thames have
agreed a fair access protocol to admit children who are currently without a school place and may have
difficulty finding a suitable school place.
The aims of the fair access protocol are to ensure that:
 a school place is found quickly for children with no school place who meet the criteria for consideration
under the fair access protocol
 no school, including those with places available, is asked to admit a large number of children who have
been excluded from other schools, have challenging behaviour or a history of behavioural problems
 the child is admitted to the most suitable school, even if there is no place available and the school has to
go over their published admission number

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Children who are admitted to schools under this protocol take priority over any children on waiting lists.
The Fair Access Panel, which considers applications under this protocol, consists of representative
headteachers and senior council staff.
The panel makes the final decision on which school will be nominated to receive each case. This will take
into account the suitability of the placement for the pupil and the school and, where possible, will ensure
that the required additional resources are made available to support the pupil’s successful integration into
school.

Section 4
Appeals
General
You have the legal right to appeal against a decision not to offer your child a place at any or all of the
schools you have applied for. You are entitled to appeal for a place at your preferred school even though
your child may have a place somewhere else.
The admissions authority for the school you are applying for is required to explain to you why your child has
not been offered a place at that school. They must also explain how you can appeal against this decision.
Your appeal will be heard by an appeal panel that is independent of the school admissions authority whose
decision you are appealing against. You have the right to attend the hearing to explain your case to the
independent appeal panel. To ensure their impartiality and independence, there are strict rules covering
the appointment of the appeal panel members.
The appeal panel will consider the grounds you give for appealing against the decision not to offer your
child a school place and the reasons given by the school’s admission authority for refusing the place. The
appeal panel’s decision is binding on the school’s admission authority, the parent and the local admission
authority.
When considering whether you wish to appeal, you need to think about whether your reasons for wanting
your child to attend the school are exceptional. If not, the likelihood of an appeal being successful may not
be very high. To help you, the number of appeals heard and the number that were successful last year are
given on each individual school’s website.
Appeal panels follow a two stage process in reaching decisions.
 The panel must first decide whether the admissions authority for the school has satisfactorily made its
case that efficient education and the efficient use of resources will be harmed (the legal term is
prejudiced) if further children are admitted to the school in the year group concerned.
 Secondly, if the panel agrees that harm would be caused in these ways, it must balance that harm
against your particular reasons for seeking a place at that school.
If your appeal is unsuccessful, a further appeal will only be heard in the same academic year if there are
exceptional changes in your circumstances.

Appeals for a place at a community school in Kingston

For information on how to appeal for a place at a community school, you will need to contact School
Admissions, Achieving for Children, Guildhall 2, Kingston upon Thames KT1 1EU. Phone: 020 8547 4610.

Appeals for a place at an academy or free school in Kingston

For information on how to appeal against your child not being offered a place at an academy or free school
you will need to contact the school directly.

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Appeals for a place at a school in another council area
For information about appealing for a school place in neighbouring council areas, please contact the school
or the council directly. Contact details can be found in Section 7 on pages 21.
For foundation schools, voluntary aided schools, academies or free schools, please contact the school
directly.

Section 5
Schools that admit pupils at the beginning of Year 10
University Technology College or Studio schools
Most children aged 14 years will continue with their education at the secondary school they are already
attending. For the great majority of children, this will remain the most appropriate place for them to
continue their education. The Government requires councils to inform parents about schools which admit
pupils in Year 10. These are called University Technical Colleges (UTCs) or Studio schools.

UTCs
UTCs are set up by universities and business and specialise in one or two technical subjects. In Years 10
and 11, they offer a similar GCSE curriculum to a typical secondary school, including English and maths, as
well as their specialist subject. More information is available at www.utcolleges.org/utcs

Studio schools
Studio schools are similar to UTCs in that they have employer involvement in the curriculum and focus on
developing skills needed for employment, involving personal coaching and work experience. They have a
similar curriculum to a typical secondary school. More information is available www.studioschoolstrust.org

There are no UTCs or Studio schools in Kingston Borough, however, a list of all schools in the London area
which admit pupils into Year 10, together with contact details, can be viewed on Richmond Council’s
website: www.richmond.gov.uk/utcs_and_studio_schools_london.pdf

Section 6
Sixth Form and post-16 education
Kingston and Richmond boroughs offer a range of post-16 learning providers where a large selection of
Level 3 programmes can be accessed, both at A level and more vocational BTEC programmes. Some
providers also offer post-16 Level 2 learning in a limited range of subjects for young people whose GCSE
grades did not enable them to progress on to Level 3 programmes - see our Opportunities Pack for further
information on this. Find the links to all our post-16 providers on our AfCinfo website:
 Young people
 Information and advice
 Learning and employment
 Post 16 admissions
 Schools and colleges
 Opportunities Pack

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Section 7
Schools in other council areas
If you are a Kingston resident and you wish to apply for schools in other council areas, you must include
these on your Kingston application. All councils produce a brochure similar to this one that gives full details
of schools and their admission criteria as well as dates for open evenings. To obtain a copy of this contact
the relevant council.
Check the admission criteria carefully for each of the schools you are applying to. Details of the nearest
schools within the five councils bordering Kingston follow.

London Borough of Merton London Borough of Richmond upon Thames

Children, Schools and Families School Admissions, Achieving for Children
Civic Centre, Morden SM4 5DX Guildhall 2, Kingston upon Thames KT1 1EU
Phone: 020 8274 4906 T: 020 8547 5569 (School Admissions - direct dial)
E: [email protected] E: [email protected]
W: www.merton.gov.uk/admissions W: www.richmond.gov.uk/schools

Surrey County Council London Borough of Sutton

Admissions and Transport Team Children, Young People and Learning
Quadrant Court, 35 Guildford Road, Directorate
Woking GU22 7QQ Civic Offices, St Nicholas Way, Sutton SM1 1EA
T: 0300 200 1004 T: 020 8770 5000
E: [email protected]
E: [email protected]
W: www.sutton.gov.uk
W: www.surreycc.gov.uk/admissions Correspondence should be addressed to Sutton
Schools Admissions Team.

London Borough of Wandsworth

Pupil Services Section, Children’s Services
Town Hall Extension, Wandsworth High Street,
London SW18 2PU
T: 020 8871 7316
E: [email protected]
W: www.wandsworth.gov.uk/admissions

Independent schools
A list of independent or private schools in Kingston can be found on Kingston Council’s website at
www.kingston.gov.uk
Information about independent schools can be obtained from:
Independent Schools Council First Floor, 27 Queen Anne’s Gate, London SW1H 9BU
T: 020 7766 7070 E: www.isc.co.uk
To apply, contact the independent or private school direct for further details and an application form. The
Council cannot act as your agent in contacting a private school. It has no role at all in admissions to private
schools, or in relation to any other aspect of education at a private school.

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If you have any questions regarding school admissions, please contact:
School Admissions, Achieving for Children, Guildhall 2, Kingston upon Thames KT1 1EU
T: 020 8547 4610
Telephone contact hours: Monday to Friday 8.45am to 2.00pm
E: [email protected]
W: www.kingston.gov.uk

If you have difficulty reading this document because of a disability or

because English is not your first language, we can help you. Please call our
helpline on 020 8547 4610 or ask someone to call on your behalf.