Admissions to Schools

Transferring between Barking and Dagenham schools

In Barking and Dagenham, we are working to establish stable school populations and to minimise the need for movement of pupils between schools. Ideally, your child will stay in the same Primary or Secondary school for the whole of his or her school life.

In this way, the teaching style of the school can provide a continuous framework for the building of robust patterns of learning and a stable school community can provide the location for children's personal and social development.

However, there are times when parents and Head Teachers agree that movement between schools is necessary. There are 2 ways in which this can happen:

In-borough transfers
School transfers (material change of circumstance)

In-borough transfer

If your child has a place in a Barking and Dagenham school and you wish them to move to another Barking and Dagenham School, the transfer will be arranged at the end of a term to avoid disruption to schemes of work in each school. The process is:

You collect a School Transfer Blue form from the school and fill in part A
You and the school discuss reasons for transfer
If you are still requesting the transfer, the school signs part B
You send the form to the Barking Learning Centre 3 weeks before the end of that term
If there are vacancies in the appropriate schools at the end of term of that term, pupils will be allocated in preparation for the new school term
If you do not hear by the start of the new term, you will know that there are no available places and that your request has been unsuccessful
If you want to repeat the request for transfer in the following term, you will need to write to the Barking Learning Centre stating this

School transfer (material change of circumstance)

When circumstances at home or at school change, and you and the Head Teacher agree on the need for your daughter/son to change schools during the school term, then a school transfer is negotiated. The process is:

You collect a School Transfer Green form from the school and fill in part A
The school signs part B, giving their views
You send the form to the Barking Learning Centre 3 weeks before the end of term
If there are vacancies, the Admissions Officer will negotiate a transfer with the requested school
If there are no vacancies, the Admissions Officer will discuss alternatives with you

The transfer processes are managed at school level but are coordinated and monitored through the Admissions and Attendance Team of Children's Services.

If we refuse the transfer, parents have the right to appeal against this application. Parents can only appeal for a school once within a school year. However, if there has been a relevant and major change in your families circumstances, we may consider a second application as long as you can provide evidence of your changed circumstances.

If we turn down your second application, you have the right to make a new appeal.