Deciding which secondary schools to apply for

You need to tell us your 3 school preferences in order of priority.

Apply for a secondary school place provides admission arrangements and the application process.

Find schools

Use the schools directory to find local schools.

If you live in a rural area or village, your local school may have a linked area (e.g. Thrapston is in the linked area for Prince William School in Oundle) which may give you some priority if that school is oversubscribed. Use the schools directory to see if a school is linked to your local village or town.

Although a school may have a linked area, school transport assistance can't be provided if it's not the nearest suitable school under their policy.

You must still apply for designated, local or linked schools as part of your preferences.

School information

The schools directory also includes details for each secondary school, Ofsted and performance reports. Admissions oversubscription criteria can be found in the school's prospectus.

Supplementary information form

You may need to complete a supplementary information form which goes directly to the school, in addition to the preference form to the council.

School prospectus

Many schools have a prospectus or booklet on the their website (or ask the school for a copy).

Visit

All secondary schools hold open evenings or days for parents with details on their website where you can ask questions.

Different types of school

The application and offer process is the same for all types of schools except for University Technical Colleges.

But the oversubscription admission criteria and allocation of places are dealt with differently.

Community schools

We are responsible for the oversubscription admission criteria and the allocation of places.

Voluntary aided schools and foundation (trust) schools

School governors are responsible for setting the oversubscription admission criteria and the allocation of places.

Academies, free schools and University Technical Colleges (UTCs)

The Academy Trust is responsible for setting the oversubscription admission criteria and the allocation of places.

UTCs are for students aged 14 to 19 years of age, so children would transfer to these schools at the start of Year 10.

We are responsible for dealing with the application process - you must return your preference form to the council for whichever type of school you are applying for (except UTCs).

Free school transport

You will need to get your child to and from school each day. Find out at which schools your child will be eligible for free school transport.

How school places are allocated

When you apply for a school place you are asked to list 3 schools in order of preference.

Every school has a number of places available for applicants - this is the called the published admission number (PAN) for the school.

If fewer than this number of children apply for a place at the school, all of the children will be given a place.

If more apply, then the ‘oversubscription criteria’ is used to decide which children must be offered a place.

Oversubscription criteria

Every school has an oversubscription criteria. It explains the order in which their places will be allocated if the school is oversubscribed. Every child applying is placed within the highest priority group (criterion) that applies to them. Depending on the type of school, priority will be given to different groups, for example, those with siblings already at the school or those living in the linked area.

In many cases when the published admission number (PAN) is reached within one of the criteria groups, a tiebreaker based on either distance or random allocation is used to decide between the children within that criterion. All distance measurements are done on a straight line basis unless the school states otherwise.

It is important that you understand the oversubscription criteria for the schools you wish to apply for, and the likeliness of your child being allocated a place. Schools' oversubscription criteria can be found on the prospectus:

Equal preferencing

School places are allocated using a system called 'Equal preferencing'. Equal preferencing ensures that your child is considered for a place at each of your three preferred schools, regardless of whether the school is placed first, second or third on the application. Essentially each of your preferences is treated as if it was a separate application. We will then allocate a place at the highest preference school where a place can be offered.

Apply for a secondary school place

Last updated 05 September 2024