• A guide to starting secondary school in Leeds 2011-2012
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• Individual secondary school information can be viewed on 'Starting Secondary School' page.  However, these are already in the guide to starting secondary school booklet.
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Can I ask for more than one school?

You can request a place at three schools, listed in order of preference.

Do I have to give a preference?

Yes, if you want your child to be considered for a place at a school. Even if you want a place at your local school or you already have a child at the school, you must apply for a place. If you do not give a preference, your child may not be offered a place at a school as parents who do apply will be considered for a place at a school before those who do not.

Will my child be accepted for a place at my preferred school?

This will depend upon the number of applications and the number of places available.

What happens if there are too many applications for the number of places available?

Priority for places is given by the admission criteria for the school in question. You can see the admission policy for community and voluntary-controlled school on line, in the summary pamphlet and in the Starting secondary school in Leeds booklet. For voluntary-aided (Catholic or Church of England Schools), the David Young Community Academy and Garforth Community College admission policies, contact the school directly, visit their web site or download them from this site.

Some criteria also mention a sibling. What is this?

A sibling is a brother or sister. If you have another child attending the school you should tell us about this child when prompted, during the online application process as a sibling at the school may give you higher priority, under the admission criteria. Please see our guide to Starting Secondary School in Leeds 2011-12 on this website, for further information on the definition of a sibling.

Should I look at the admission criteria before I give my preference?

We strongly recommend this. You are advised to consider carefully whether you meet the admission criteria set for the school. If you do not you may find you have wasted your preference. We always recommend that you should include your nearest community school, by straight line measurement, even as number three when making your application.

Can I apply for a school place in a neighbouring local authority?

Leeds is bordered by four councils with responsibility for the provision of education. These are North Yorkshire, Wakefield, Bradford and Kirklees. You should contact these councils for details of their schools and procedures. Their telephone numbers can be found in the Starting secondary school in Leeds booklet or on the useful links page form this site.

If you pay council tax to the Leeds Local Authority you must apply to Leeds for a school place, even if some, or all of the schools you are requesting are in other Local Authorities.

What if I believe my child should be given a priority for a particular school because of his special educational need?

You should mention this on the form or write a letter explaining the circumstances. This might be of particular importance if your child does not have a full statement of special educational need but whose needs are such that you believe they can only be met at a specific school. It is very important that you read Note 3 of our admissions policy before you submit your application.

If your child has a full statement of special education need, you should discuss what the most appropriate school should be with your case worker before applying for a place at a school.

What else should I look at before deciding?

You can get a copy of the school’s prospectus and go to the open days. Ofsted reports are also available from the school, libraries and the Ofsted website.

What happens if I am refused a place at my first preference school?

If you have been refused a place at the school you want, we will give you the opportunity to go on a waiting list for the school and appeal against our decision to an independent appeal panel.

How can I appeal?

You will be sent details of the appeals and waiting list process in March 2011 if you are not successful in getting a place at any of your preferred schools. You can then write to us if you are not happy with the place that we have offered your child, you will have 14 days to return your appeal form to us.

What about transport?

For more information please see the Transport section of the Education Leeds website.

What should I do once I have decided which school I would like my child to attend?

Complete the ONLINE APPLICATION FORM.

• It is quicker, easier and safer than applying on a paper form
• You will receive a confirmation email that your preferences have been received
• Applications that are sent through the post can be lost, if you apply on line you are provided with proof of the information that you have sent us
• You will be able to log back in and check or change your details up until the closing date of 31st October 2010
• On 1 March 2011 you will receive confirmation of your school offer by email, applications by post will only be sent their offer, by post, on 1 March and will not receive their offer at the same time as on line applications.

If you do not want to apply on line you can collect a blank form from your local primary school or you can contact the Admissions Team, Tel 0113 2475729, who will send one to you, it is your responsibility to apply for a school place.

What happens if my application is late?

We will try to give you the school you applied for but for some schools, we receive many more applications than places available. If this is the case we will give you the nearest school that has places available and tell you about the appeal and waiting list processes.

What should I do if I decide not to take up the school place?

We will provide you with a reply slip which you must return to us to accept the place or to tell us why you do not want to accept the place that has been offered.

Where can I find out more information?

On our website “starting secondary school” page.