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Frequently Asked Questions Admissions for 2022

If your query cannot be answered using the guide below, please email [email protected] with your query and we will endeavour to assist you as soon as possible.

How do I apply for a place in Year 7?

The administration of Year 7 applications is undertaken by Buckinghamshire Council with applications and subsequent enquiries handled by their Admissions Team.  Full details, including the timeline and deadlines, are available on their website moving up to secondary school.  As well as following the application process outlined on Buckinghamshire Council’s website (or your home Local Authority if you do not live in Buckinghamshire), you need to complete Dr Challoner’s High School’s own Supplementary Information Form if you wish to be considered under the catchment rule.

Does Dr Challoner’s High School have a supplementary form for admissions as well as applying through my Local Authority?

Yes.

Why do I need to complete Dr Challoner’s High School’s own Supplementary Information Form (SIF)?

If you want your address to be considered under the catchment rule of the oversubscription criteria laid out in our 2022 Admissions Policy, you will need to complete this form. 

When do I need to complete this Supplementary Information Form (SIF)?

When you submit your secondary school application to Buckinghamshire Council you need to complete Dr Challoner’s High School’s own Supplementary Information Form by 4pm on 30th November 2021 to confirm your residency qualification.  You will be able to complete and submit this electronic SIF to Dr Challoner’s High School from 9am onwards on Monday 13th September 2021.

What does living in the catchment area mean?

Your normal home address is where you and your child live and where she spends most of the school week.  Please see Appendix 5 of the 2022 Admissions Policy.  Your daughter must have been resident at their home address continuously since 1st April 2021 to count as living in the catchment area for September 2022 admissions.

If a family own a property within 20 miles of the school, but it has not been the main family home more recently than 1st September 2021, you will need to provide evidence that you have not lived in it since September 2021.

If I live in the Dr Challoner’s High School catchment area, what are my chances of getting a place?

For admissions into Year 7 in September, for the last few years all those living in catchment who placed us as their first choice were offered a place.  In addition, some places were offered to those outside of catchment.

How are the admission rules applied if I live in the catchment area?

Places are (with a few exceptions) allocated by distance from the school within the catchment area.  For the specific criteria and exceptions please see our 2022 Admissions Policy.

How are the admission rules applied if I live outside the catchment area?

Once all girls within the catchment area have been allocated, any further places will be allocated to girls living outside the catchment area according to the criteria outlined in our 2022 Admissions Policy.

For admissions in September 2021, students who lived just outside the catchment area were able to secure a place.  It is worth noting that the distance changes year on year and very much depends on how many girls pass the test within the catchment area and then express a preference of Dr Challoner’s High School as their first choice of secondary school.  We have not created a newly defined catchment and this distance could increase or decrease.

 

Statistics on allocation of school places for previous years  - please note the September 2021 entry statistics do not show the final allocations for Dr Challoner’s High School for September 2021.

How do I know if I live in the Dr Challoner’s High School catchment area and how long do I need to be living there?

The Buckinghamshire Council website contains a postcode checker which is a useful tool for checking which secondary schools are in your catchment area.  To be considered as living in catchment for September 2022 entry you need to be resident on 1st April in the year preceding the year of entry (Year 5).

I was unable to move into the catchment area prior to 1st April 2021 and wondered if any exception would be made for September 2022 entry?

We realise times have been challenging for all students and parents within the community,  but it is essential we operate a fair and transparent Admissions Policy for all and adhere to the published oversubscription criteria as outlined in section 2.2 of our Admissions 2022 Policy.

What happens if I move into the catchment area after the deadline of 1st April 2021?

If you move into catchment after this deadline, but before 1st March 2022 your application will be considered in the second and subsequent rounds of allocations, provided the necessary evidence has been submitted to Buckinghamshire Council.

Does the transfer test score make a difference to my child’s priority?

All children who score 121 or more are treated as qualified and a higher score will not mean a child has a higher priority for a grammar school place.  Once they have qualified, children are prioritised for a grammar school place according to the admission rules for the particular grammar. 

For Dr Challoner’s High School, up to 12 places within the existing 180 admission number, will be available to girls, resident in the catchment area, who are in receipt of Pupil Premium at the time of application and whose standardised score is at least 115. Should there be more eligible applicants than places available then a distance tie-breaker will apply.

What if I live in another Local Authority area?

You must apply through your home Local Authority.  As well as sending in a form to your own home Local Authority you must also remember to register your child for a transfer test with Bucks as she will not automatically be entered for the test if she does not currently attend a Bucks Local Authority Primary School.  Please see the Buckinghamshire Council website for further details on how to register together with the deadline date for this registration. 

Admissions to Years 8 – 9 (Late Transfer Test)

We do hold annual testing (called Late Transfer Testing), which is handled in accordance with the school’s Late Transfer procedure. Please refer to (section 3 and 3.1)  of our Admissions 2022 Policy for details on qualification and further information about the Late Transfer Test.

Buckinghamshire Council’s website useful links:

Timeline for entry in 2022

 

School Transport

Please note any offer based on inaccurate information can be withdrawn.  This could include fraudulent or misleading applications, false claims to residence and failure to reply to an offer within the number of days specified in the offer letter.

 

March 2021

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