What is the process of allocating school places?

Co-ordinated Secondary School Admissions mean that Local Authorities work together using a common process and timescale so that parents only have to complete one application form and receive only one offer of a school place on the designated offer day 1 March ( or the next working day if this date falls on a weekend). Parents submit a Secondary Common Application Form (PCAF) to their home Local Authority by the closing date of 31 October each year, listing their preferred schools regardless of the Local Authority area in which the schools are situated. The London Borough of Bexley allows parents to express up to 6 preferences.

After the closing date, Local Authorities exchange application information, through a secure site, with each other so that each Local Authority has a complete list of all the children for whom applications have been made to schools within its area.

The School Admissions Team of the London Borough of Bexley submits to each voluntary aided school and Academy in the borough a list of children whose parents have applied for the school on their Application form but this must not include the preference number listed as this is not permitted. The list includes the home-to-school distance calculated by the London Borough of Bexley’s Geographic Information System (GIS) map measuring system. This allows schools to sequence applicants within their published oversubscription criteria, where the school uses home-to-school distance as a deciding factor. The Governors of the school put the applicants in rank order in accordance with the school’s over-subscription criteria and return the list of applicants in that order to the School Admissions Team. The rank of each applicant is entered on the Authority’s database.

For community schools, the applicants are put in sequence according to the London Borough of Bexley’s over-subscription criteria found in Admission to Secondary Schools 2027 to 2028.

The allocation process is then run in three parts:

1. Each preference is considered separately regardless of its rank on the application form. The computer programme records whether or not the child is eligible for each preference.
2. If children are eligible for more than one preference, the highest preference is retained. Any lower preferences that the child qualified for are discarded as “not required as a higher preference is being offered”.
   At this stage, Local Authorities inform each other of the places that can be offered in their schools to children resident in other areas.
3. When applicants have not qualified to be offered any of the preferences expressed, a place is offered by the home Local Authority at the nearest school to the family home that has a vacancy at this stage of the allocation process.

Bexley’s School Admissions Team notifies the parents of every child living in Bexley for whom there is an on-time application of the outcome of their application, whether the school offered is in Bexley or another Local Authority area. Emails will be sent to those who applied online by 31 October on 1 March, and letters will be posted by first class post on 1 March to those who applied on a paper form. Parents offered a place in a Bexley school but who do not live in the borough received the offer letter from their home Local Authority.

The School Admissions Team provides each school, whether community, voluntary controlled, voluntary aided or Academy, with a list of children who are being offered places prior to  1 March but they must not share this information with parents..

Applications received after the closing date of 31 October but before offer day of 1 March are not considered until April. Applications received after 1 March will not be considered until the beginning of May, as these are considered as late applications. All late applicants are placed on the waiting lists for the preferred schools in admission criteria order, and offers of places are made where possible.

Can I choose my child’s Secondary school?

When you apply, you can put up to six preferences on the form. We’ll treat each one as a separate application, and these will be sent to each school for them to consider your application under their admission arrangements. Once offers are received from the schools, we can then offer you the place that’s highest on your list. If there aren’t any places at any of the schools you’ve listed, we’ll offer a place at the school within a reasonable travelling distance that has one.

You don’t have to fill in all six, but putting down one doesn’t give you a better chance of getting in. Where you already have a sibling at your preferred school, please check the sibling criteria as they are all different.

How do you decide which child to give a place to?

Bexley do not make the decision as advised in the previous answer. We’ll always do our best to offer your child a place at a high preference school, however this is determined whether a child meets the school oversubscription criteria. If there aren’t enough places to do that at any of the schools listed as preferences we will allocate a Bexley school place that is within a reasonable travelling distance.

We do not have catchment areas in Bexley, and there’s no advantage to going to a particular school’s nursery as Bexley schools do not have a link for children in their nursery to have precedence over other children for admission to reception ( it is not one of the admission criteria).

Schools must offer 1st preferences before lower preferences?

No this is against the law. Schools will only receive a list of children who have applied and not the preference. This was the result of a government decision in the early 2000’s. Places can only be offered in the order of a school Admission Arrangements.

Why do some Secondary schools have different admissions arrangements?

All Secondary school in Bexley are Academies and set their own admission arrangements

I have an older child already at the school. Do I not need to apply?

Everyone must apply for their child, even if they have a brother or sister already at the school. Most schools give priority to siblings, these vary with certain requirements, but if you don’t apply you could miss out on a place.

If I only list one school, will that mean that you will have to offer me that school?

Listing only one school does not increase your child’s chances of being offered a place. If your child does not qualify for that school, then they will be allocated a place at a school that is a reasonable travelling distance from your home with a vacancy. It is important you name your schools in order of preference and in your child’s best interest to name as many schools as possible. Allocations can only be made when all named preferences have been considered. So only naming one school means your child will not get considered for any other local schools until after all other children that have named them have been considered.

Can I use someone else’s address to get into a preferred school?

No. The address used must be where the family (including the parent/carer) and child live permanently. Proof is required and checks are made.

If I apply to a school in another borough, will their residents have priority over me?

A school must not set admissions arrangements or catchment areas along an administrative boundary. It is true that some children may get priority when they live in the same borough as the school, but only if they are closer to the school. Children living close to schools in neighbouring authorities should have no less priority simply because they live in a different borough. 

I live nearer to the school than the last child offered under the distance criterion last year, am I guaranteed a place?

Although the information listed in the Admission Booklet can give you an idea of how likely it is that you will be offered a place at your preferred school, the ‘last distance’ will change every year. We cannot guarantee any child will be offered a place at any school.

If parents want to move into the Borough for the purpose of applying for a school space, when is the deadline for this?

If you move to Bexley from another area before 9 February 2027 and have already made an on-time application, your previous home authority will forward your application to Bexley, and we will take over responsibility for offering a place. However, again, we will require closure of the account from your previous address before we will take the application over. If you move after 9 February 2027, your previous home authority will continue to be responsible for your application until after the offer date of 16 April 2027. In the situation where a partner remains at the original address through separation, we will only accept the move with official proof of separation.

What documents are required to support applications?

You will need to provide the following documentation as proof of your principal home address:

• a current Council Tax statement or Council Tax Benefit letter, or a valid official tenancy agreement from a commercial letting agency. We will not accept any temporary rental agreements that have been downloaded from a website. Where an official tenancy agreement is provided, this must not be a temporary move to secure a specific school and the tenancy agreement should be until after the child starts the primary school in September 2027 - further checks may be made to ensure this and we will require a closure of the Council Tax account from the previous address.
• if you are applying online, you can scan and upload copies of the documents. If you will be providing a paper copy, please send it to the School Admissions Team, ensuring it is clearly marked with your online application reference number and your child’s name and date of birth. 

Do not send original documents.

How long will a child be on the waiting list for?

Until the end of December 2027, then parent/carers will need to reapply through the in-year system.

How long does the appeal process take?

See the Appeals section in the Admission to Secondary School 2027/28 booklet.

What happens if I do not apply on time?

The application will be classed as late If you apply after the closing date, your application will not be considered until after all the on-time applications have been processed unless there are exceptional reasons.  If it is late, it is very unlikely that you will be offered one of your preferred schools.

We go into more detail about all these things and more in our Admission to Secondary Schools 2027 to 2028. Or you can contact us by emailing schooladmissions@bexley.gov.uk