The Right Secondary School 2010

Filling in your forms

Moving from primary to secondary school is not an automatic process. If you do not fill in the common application form, we may not be able to give your child a place at the school of your preference.

You should list up to 6 preferences on the application form, making sure you rank them in order of preference. Number 1 is the school you most prefer and number 6 the school you least prefer. These schools may include community schools, voluntary aided schools, foundation schools and schools outside Barking and Dagenham
If 1 of your preferences includes a voluntary aided school or foundation school, you may need to fill in a supplementary form ( PDF 84K)
The information you need to put on your form is as follows, whether you apply online or fill in your paper form. Do not fill in a paper form if you apply online.

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Section 1 - Child's details

Child's name - This should be your child's legal name given on their birth certificate or passport.

Child's date of birth - Please put the figures in the day, month and year boxes, for example, 12 September 1998 should be written as follows 1 2 0 9 9 8.

Child's address - This must be the permanent address where the child lives with their parents or legal guardians and where Child Benefit is addressed.

If your child's address on the application form is different from the address your child's primary or junior school has on their records (as of Friday 10 July 2009), we will ask you to provide proof of where you and your child live. Also, if your child goes to a primary or junior school outside the borough, we will need to see proof of both your address and your child's current address.

In these cases, we 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.

Child's current school - The name of your child's primary or junior school. If this school is outside the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, you will also need to write the school's address in the space provided.

Section 2 - Children with a disability or special needs

Please tick the relevant box to show if your child has a full statement of special needs
Please tick the relevant box to show if your child has a disability and give details in the box provided

Section 3 - Children in care

Please tick the relevant box to show if your child is in the care of a local authority. If so, please give details by providing a letter from the social worker confirming the legal status of the child and the local authority the child is in the care of. The letter should also provide the reasons for the preferences of schools listed.

Section 4 - Parent's or carer's details

This should be the person or people with parental responsibility for the child named in section 1. Please give your full name and contact details, and tick the relevant box to show your title and relationship to the child named in section 1 (for example, tick 'other family member' if you are a sister caring for the child). Please remember to provide documentary evidence of legal guardianship if you are not the child's natural parent.

If your address is different to the child's address, please explain why on a separate sheet of paper. Also, if parents share custody, please say this and give both addresses on a separate sheet of paper.

If we ask for proof of address, please make sure that the guardian named on the application form is also named on the 2009-10 Council Tax bill or tenancy agreement.

Password

We need a password for security purposes only. When you apply on a paper from, we will need you to give us a password between 8 and 12 letters long.

Without this information on your application we cannot give out information if you visit or phone us. If you apply online, we will need your application reference number for security purposes.

Section 5 - Preferences for secondary school

Please write the name and borough (if outside the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham) of up to 6 different secondary schools you want to apply for. You must list the schools in the order you prefer them. Number 1 is the school you most prefer and number 6 is the school you least prefer.

You must list all state-maintained schools or academies (not private schools) you are applying for, including any schools outside the borough of Barking and Dagenham.

Siblings (brothers and sisters)

If you are applying to a school outside this borough for your child and they have a brother or sister (sibling) at the school you name as a preference, please give the name, date of birth and sex of any brother or sister who is already at that school.

This includes a full, half, step, adopted or long term fostered brother or sister living at the same address and currently at the school. Please give the details of the sibling that is relevant to the admission criteria you are applying for. They will not consider siblings who are not named on your Common application form ( PDF 163K).

In Barking and Dagenham we no longer consider siblings in our criteria, which are listed in the admission criteria section.

Reasons for your preference

It is very important that you check the admission criteria of each school you are applying for to see if this information is needed to give your child priority.

Some admission authorities' criteria take account of exceptional medical or social reasons. These might include religious, philosophical or any other reasons.

If you think there are exceptional medical or social reasons why your child should go to a particular school, you must provide evidence with this application that is supported by a professional (such as a doctor's report).

This does not apply to any Barking and Dagenham schools.

Section 6 - Getting a receipt

If you apply online and successfully submit (make) your application, you will get an email confirmation and be given an application reference number. You can telephone us to check that we have received your online application.

Forms received at Barking and Dagenham primary or junior schools will be recorded by the school administrator.

If you post your application to us, proof of posting is not proof that we have received it.

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. If you do not hear from us within 14 days of posting your form, it is likely that we did not receive it. In that case, we strongly recommend that you apply online. We cannot confirm over the telephone that we have received your paper form.

However you apply, please keep your receipts in a safe place as you will need to show them to us if we have any questions we need to ask you.

Section 7 - Declaration and signature of the parent or carer

The person with parental responsibility for the child named in section 1 must sign the declaration to confirm that they have read and understood the information in these web pages and that the information they give is accurate.

Supplementary form - All Saints Catholic School and Technology College

All Saints Catholic School and Technology College is a voluntary aided secondary school. As well as the common application from, if you want to be considered as a Catholic applicant, you need to fill in the priest's reference form (supplementary form) as well as the common application form, which shows your commitment to your faith.

Applying to All Saints Catholic School and Technology College is a 3-stage process.

You must fill in the common application form, and list All Saints Catholic School and Technology College as 1 of your preferences. You must return the form to your home borough or council by the closing date. If you want to have a Catholic education for your child, you need to put All Saints Catholic School and Technology College high up on your list of preferences
You must fill in section A of the priest's reference form and give it to your parish priest to fill in section C. Please leave the form with your priest, giving him enough time to fill in and return the form to All Saints Catholic School and Technology College by Friday 23 October 2009.

If you normally go to Mass at a church which is not in the parish where you live, you will first need to get a reference from the parish priest where you live. He will then fill in section B of the form and return it to you. You must then take the form to the parish priest of the church where you normally go to Mass. He will fill in section C. Please leave the form with him, giving him enough time to fill in and return the form to All Saints Catholic School and Technology College by Friday 23 October 2009
You must also send a photocopy of your child's certificate of baptism and first communion certificate to All Saints Catholic School and Technology College by Friday 23 October 2009. Please also enclose a letter giving the name of the parish and the priest you left your priest's reference form with and the date you left it

Supplementary form for voluntary aided schools outside Barking and Dagenham

If you are applying to voluntary aided schools outside Barking and Dagenham, you need to fill in the common application form from your child's home borough and then check whether the school needs you to fill in a supplementary form.

If your school needs you to fill in a supplementary form but you do not fill it in and send it to the relevant school or local authority, your application will not be considered for that school.