The Right Secondary School 2010
What you need to do
If you live in Barking and Dagenham
If you live in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, you need to fill in the enclosed common application form. If you do not have a copy of the common application form, you can either:
- Applying online
- Downloading a form (
PDF 163K)
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You will then need to list up to 6 secondary schools on the common application form in the order you prefer. You must list all the schools you want to apply for on the Barking and Dagenham common application form, even if these schools are located outside the borough.
The admission criteria of schools outside Barking and Dagenham will be different from the Barking and Dagenham schools, and you may need to fill in other forms (supplementary forms). We strongly recommend that you contact the relevant admission authority (local authority or school) for more information.
Once you have filled in your form, you can either:
- Online - Apply online
- By post - Please allow time for the paper form to be delivered if you send it by post. Postal address: Admissions Team, Fortis House, 160 London Road, Barking, IG11 8BB
- In person - Bring your form to the One Stop Shop within the Barking Learning Centre. The Barking Learning Centre is the new building next to the Town Hall.
Address: 2 Town Square, Barking, IG11 7NB.
Opening times: Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm, and Saturday, 9am - 1pm
If you want us to let you know that we have received your form, you must fill in the receipt slip (section 6 of the common application form) and enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope.
After the closing date we will process all the applications we received by the closing date. If there are more applications for a school than there are places available in that school (that is, the school is oversubscribed), we will use the admission criteria to decide which applications are successful.
The criteria for Barking and Dagenham community schools and the criteria for our voluntary aided school are different. Before you make your application, please make sure you read and understand these criteria and check how places were distributed at each school last year.
It is important that you rank the schools in your true order of preference. If we can then offer your child a place at 2 or more of the schools you have listed, we will give your child a place at the one you ranked the highest of these schools. We will then exchange all potential offers with other councils until we can make a single best offer to you.
We will post this offer to you on Monday 1 March 2010. We cannot tell you about the results of your application over the telephone. If you have not received your letter by Friday 5 March 2010, please contact us for a copy. If you have applied online, you can find out the results of your application online on Tuesday 2 March 2010.
If we cannot give your child a place at any of the schools you have applied for, we will give your child a place at the nearest school to your home which has a vacancy.
You have a right to appeal if we turn down your application. The appeal is organised by the admission authority for the school. If the school is a community school, the admission authority is Barking and Dagenham.
If the school is a voluntary aided school (in Barking and Dagenham, this is All Saints Catholic School and Technology College) the governing body is the admissions authority.
If you decide to appeal for a place at a Barking and Dagenham community school, fill in and return the appeal form which will be sent with your results letter. If you decide to appeal for a place at All Saints Catholic School and Technology College, you must contact the school directly.
If you are not offered a place in a school you applied for outside Barking and Dagenham, and you want to appeal for that place, you will need to contact the relevant admission authority (local authority or school) for more details.
Proof of address
We work hard to avoid fraudulent applications. To do this, we need to check where you and your child are living. We already have these details if your child is at a Barking and Dagenham primary or junior school. However, we will need proof of you and your child's current address if:
- Your child's address on the application form is different from the address your child's Barking and Dagenham primary or junior school has on their records (as of Friday 10 July 2009); or
- If your child goes to a primary or junior school outside the borough
In either of these cases, we will need a photocopy of your 2009-10 Council Tax bill or a copy of your tenancy agreement as well as a photocopy of your child benefit book or a letter from the Benefits Agency. The name of your child, and your name and address on both these documents, must match the information on your application form.
Children in care
If your child is in the care of a local authority, you must also include a letter from the social worker confirming the legal status of the child and the local authority that the child is in the care of. The letter should also provide the reasons for the preferences of the schools you have listed.
Please read the admissions process before you fill in your application form. The step-by-step guide will help you fill in your forms.
