Choosing a school for a child is one of the most important decisions that parents have to make. Remember that all parents need to make an application; no child has automatic entry to any school. For the best chance of getting your child into the school of your choice, you must apply well in advance.
All admissions to the intake year of primary and secondary schools are co-ordinated by the school admissions team at Wiltshire Council.
Everyone who lives in Wiltshire must complete a common application form (either online or on paper) even if the school you want your child to attend is outside Wiltshire. If you want to apply for a place at a Wiltshire school but live in another county, you must complete the common application form which is produced by your own local authority.
When you apply for a place, you'll be ask to list three schools in order of preference. Here are some things to consider when choosing a school.
Do your research
You can't make an application until September the year before your child is due to start, but by collecting as much information as possible about the schools in your area, you can decide which would be most likely to meet your child’s needs. Details of all schools in Wiltshire can be found in the schools directory.
Catchment area
All types of school are surrounded by a defined geographical area know as their catchment area. If there are more applications than places, priority is usually given to children living in the catchment area for a school. However, there is no guarantee of a place for pupils living within a catchment area or for those who move into the catchment area at a later date.
Find the catchment area schools for your village or town:
School catchment area for large towns in Wiltshire and villages with more than one designated school School
catchment area for large towns in Wiltshire and villages with more than one designated school 872kb- School catchment area for small towns and villages in Wiltshire School
catchment area for small towns and villages in Wiltshire 255kb
Children from overseas
Children of compulsory school age coming from abroad with parents who have a right of residence in, or permission to enter, the UK have the same rights as UK residents to apply for a place at a state school. Applications on behalf of children currently living outside the UK will be considered but, until the children are resident in the country, their home address will be treated as their place of residence outside the UK.
The only exceptions to this would be applications from children of UK service personnel and other crown servants (diplomats) who have been posted abroad on fixed term contracts and are returning to live in the UK.
Distance
How far is the school from your home and how will your child get there? It is your responsibility to establish which is the catchment school for your child and whether any travel assistance is available before applying for a place at that school. Help with transport costs may be available.
Admissions criteria
Schools have a limited number of places available in each year group. If there are more applications than there are places available, the admission criteria are used to decide who is offered a place. The admission criteria page provides more detailed information.
Visiting schools
It's a good idea to visit all the schools you are considering to get first hand experience of how they run and to meet the staff and pupils. Some schools hold open days or evenings at certain times of the year. Contact the schools directly to find out if and when they do this.
Before you visit ask the school for a copy of its prospectus, which will give you more information about the school's policies on things like behaviour, homework and special needs.
Write a list of questions you would like to ask when you visit to help you decide if your child would be happy there. These might include:
- How many children will be in your child's class?
- How does the school help children to mix and make friends?
- How does the school deal with bullying?
- Does the school support children who need extra help with certain subjects?
Performance
When you are choosing a school you should consider how it's performing. Schools are regularly inspected by The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). Ofsted reports cover all aspects of the school, including their academic performance.
The Department for Education also publishes information every year on the performance of pupils in all schools. These achievement and attainment tables are a guide to how well the school is doing. They list test results for all primary schools and exam results for all secondary schools in England. You can use this information to see how each school near you compares with other schools in the area and in England as a whole.
Applying for a place
You need to apply for a school place in the autumn term (September) the year before your child is due to start. All applications are made at the same time.
You can't put your child's name down on a waiting list for a better chance of getting a place at a certain school. Some schools may collect names of parents interested in their school many years before their child is due to start, but these are only 'interest lists' where you can register your details in order to receive information from the school. This will not increase your chances of getting a place.
All parents must make an application. Even if your child's current primary or nursery school is linked to the school you want them to go to next, you won't be considered for a place unless you apply.
Contact Details (LiveLink)
Multiple Contacts:
eMail: admissions@wiltshire.gov.uk
Telephone: 01225 713010
Out of hours:
Fax:
Postal Address:
School Admissions
Wiltshire Council
County
Hall
Trowbridge
BA14
8JN
In Person:
DX:
Last updated: 1 September 2011
Join us on Facebook
Join us on Twitter