Secondary school admissions - Print version

Coventry has 20 secondary academies serving children aged 11 to 18, a University Technical College for children aged 14 to 19 and an all-through academy for children aged 4-16.

Each secondary school provides detailed information about its curriculum, organisation, pupil behaviour, progress monitoring, examination results and other matters. You will be able to obtain this information in individual school prospectuses, which are available from the school.

School contact details and Ofsted reports [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/schoolcontactdetails]

Information about the catchment areas of the city’s schools [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/catchmentareas] is available and each school that has a catchment or priority area has to include specific details of its area on the school website.

It is important to have all of the information available to enable you, with your child, to make an informed decision about the school you would prefer them to attend.

• Download booklets [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/243/in-year-primarysecondary-school-admissions-booklets]
• Supplementary forms [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/5231/september-2022---secondary-applicationsupplementary-forms-and-booklet]

Starting Secondary school in September 2025

We aim to make sure that you have the best chance of securing a place at the school of your choice. For admissions in September 2024, we were only able to offer 81.5% of children their first preference. Due to the high number of applicants, many schools received more applications than there are places available.

For entry in 2025 we are expecting a higher number of applicants and although some schools have expanded to help meet demand, we are aware that there will be a lot of competition for places again this year.

Each school has developed a set of criteria (see admission policies for entry to Secondary school in 2025/26 [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/schooladmissionspolicies]) which will help to determine how the available places are allocated. These arrangements must be fair and unbiased, and follow the requirements of the Government's School Admissions Code [http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-admissions-code--2].

If you are a Coventry resident but your child is attending a school outside of the city (or a private school), you will still need to complete a Coventry common application form.

Applying for a place starting 2025

Children born between 1 September 2013 and 31 August 2014.

The application process to apply on time starts on 1 September 2024.  The closing date for making your application on time is 31 October 2024.  All applications received after this date will not be considered until after the national offer date of 3 March 2025.

Late applications [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/secondaryschoollateapplication2025] will be considered in the second allocation round in April 2025.

Please select the Access the Coventry Education Services  [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/schoolplaces]Portal to make your On time application before 31 October 2024.

Please note:

• For September 2025 a number of schools have consulted and agreed on changes to their admissions criteria. Therefore please look at the admissions policy for each school.
• If you are a Coventry resident but want to apply for schools in other Local Authorities e.g. Warwickshire or Solihull, you only have to complete a Coventry application form and indicate the school you want on this form.
• Coventry City does not have any Grammar schools in its area. To apply for a Grammar school, you will need to include the school within your Coventry application in order for them to be considered. However, you must ensure that you have already registered to sit the 11+ test with the Local Authority in which the Grammar school is situated as the deadline date to register is usually at the end of June the year before your child starts secondary school. Coventry School Admissions do not administer the 11+ test.

Online applications (open 1 September – 31 October)

• Guide on how to apply for a school place [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/25030/school_admissions_online_user_guide]
• Download booklets [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/243/in-year-primarysecondary-school-admissions-booklets]
• Supplementary forms [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/5231/2022-and-2023---secondary-supplementary-forms]

We recommend parents apply online as:

• it is quick, easy to use and secure
• you receive an email confirmation once you submit your application
• there is no risk of your application getting lost in the post
• you can check and change your application up to the closing date. However, please make sure that you resubmit if you view or change it
• it saves time, paper and postage
• you will receive an email on the relevant offer day confirming the school allocated rather than waiting for several days for the post
• you can log into your account on offer day to find out the result

If users have not received any emails, please ensure you check your junk mail folder as the email could be in there. Your junk folder could be called 'junk', 'trash' or 'spam'.

If you use mail programs like Outlook to download your emails from providers such as Sky, Virgin Media or NTL World then such mail programs may not download emails in your junk folder. In such cases you will need to do the following:

1. Open your web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox or Safari) and navigate to the website of your email provider e.g. www.sky.com
2. Log into your email account
3. Search for the email in your junk, trash or spam folders.

Once the email has been found, open the email and mark it as 'not spam' so that in future the emails come into your inbox.

Please ensure you make a note of your log-in details, as if for any reason you do not receive your offer email, you will be able to access your account.

Making a realistic application - Before you apply

• Look at the oversubscription criteria for your preferred schools to work out which priority would be given to your application. Policy details can be found by school. [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory/10/schools_and_their_contact_details/category/14]
• Read the individual school pages in Section 2 of the Secondary Admissions 2025 [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/243/in-year-primarysecondary-school-admissions-booklets] booklet for definitions that can help you understand the words used within the oversubscription criteria.
• Check your distance from the school. The Admissions team can confirm this for you, please email: secondaryadmissions@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:secondaryadmissions@coventry.gov.uk] stating ‘distance query’ in the subject box

Comparing your priority and distance with how places have been offered in previous years will give you an indication of how successful your application might be. There are further details on how places were allocated for each individual school in the Secondary Admissions 2025 [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/243/in-year-primarysecondary-school-admissions-booklets] booklet.

Making a realistic application example

This is an example and does not imply the outcome of an application.

Imagine you are applying for School A - find out your priority by checking your circumstances against the oversubscription criteria like this:

For School A: your application has priority 6 and you live 1.6 miles from the school. Check in Section 2 the school page and compare to the last person offered a place at School A for last September, this could have been a child in priority 6 at 1.194 miles from the school.

This then means that your child would not have been offered a place because you live too far away. However, this is only a guide and does not mean your application would be unsuccessful every year. 

The number of places available in priority 6 will change depending on how many applications are made for each school and how many children live in the catchment area. There is no guarantee that a similar situation will occur for admission in September 2025. A high birth year is predicted for Year 7 September 2025 entry.

The distance of the last person offered a place could also change, for example, it will not always be 1.194 miles for School A. You can still apply for this school and if it is the school you want the most you should put it first on your application, but you should include other schools where you may have a better chance of being offered a place. 

You should find out your priority and distance for all of your preferences. If you have a higher priority or the same priority and live closer to the school you have a good chance of being offered a place. If you have the same priority and live further away your chance of being offered a place is not as good. 

Many people will choose to make applications for schools which have been judged by Ofsted as outstanding schools. This means that the schools will be very popular and have far more applications than places. For these schools they are often/usually unable to make offers to children who are lower than priority 3 or 4 in their policies. If you only apply for schools like this, where your application would be classed as under priority 6 then you will not be offered a place at any of your preferred schools.

Please note: The local authority legally must make sure that your child is offered a school place, this means that you will be given a place at the nearest school with a space available.  This may not be your catchment area school, especially if all places are allocated to applicants who asked for the school and if other local schools have more applicants than they have places, you run the risk of being allocated a school some distance away.

To prevent this from happening we would ask you to always include a school where your application will have a higher priority, even if you put this as your third preference. For example, apply for your catchment area school (as you may not get this later on), or a school where you have a higher priority because of your faith, or you have an older child already attending that school. Some schools do consider 6th form pupils as siblings (check the school policies for details)

If the school you want to apply for is a Catholic school, they will give priority to children who are baptised Catholic and/or those who live in the parish. Coventry Catholic schools require you to send the baptismal certificate for your child as well as include the school name on your application.  Blue Coat School and Seva School require a supplementary form [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/5231/2022-and-2023---secondary-supplementary-forms] to be completed and returned to the school by the deadline date as additional documentation.

Coventry application forms have 3 choices for you to complete, If your 3 choices of schools are all outside Coventry, we would strongly advise that at least one of these choices should be your catchment area school - this will give you a higher chance of receiving a suitable school place offer on 3 March 2025.

Questions and answers - Starting secondary school

Can I apply for a school place online?

An online application form is available [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/schoolplaces]. When you submit your application, you will receive an acknowledgement email. Supplementary forms for applicants applying for Blue Coat Church of England School [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/1818/blue_coat_church_of_england_school] and the Seva School [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/2778/seva_school] can also be downloaded from the above website. However, these must be returned to the preferred school directly in paper format. Advice is available from Admissions staff in making your application. It is your responsibility to contact us if you do not receive an acknowledgement.

Can I make changes to my online application?

You can check and change your application up to the closing date 31 October 2024. However, it is important that you make sure you resubmit your application every time you view or make any changes as this will not be sent to the admissions team if you do not.

What if my child is currently being educated outside of their normal age group?

If your child was not born between 1/9/2013 and 31/8/2014 then you will be unable to apply for secondary school entry in 2025 using the online portal. Please contact the Admissions Team on 024 7697 5445 to request a paper application form and to discuss your application. Where requests are made for children to attend school outside their normal age group these will be considered on the circumstances of each case and in the child’s best interests. Each secondary school governing body will need to make an individual decision. There are no guarantees that such applications will be agreed. However, where the application is not agreed a letter setting out the decision and reasons for it will be provided along with any rights to appeal.

For a summer born child that started in reception a year later than is usual, they would need to apply for a secondary school place as an out of year group place when they are in year 5 rather than year 6. If you have missed this deadline please speak to the Admissions Team. More general advice about summer born children from GOV.UK [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-born-children-school-admission].

We went through the secondary admissions process three years ago with our older child. Has anything changed?

There have been some changes to the admissions policies for some schools in respect of admissions oversubscription criteria and appeals. Please check the information in this booklet [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/40764/secondary-admissions-booklet-2024] to see how the process will work in 2025. There has been an increasing demand for secondary school spaces due to the increasing birth rate. September 2025 entry has one of the highest birth rates and therefore we would advise you to read through the criteria and the past years allocation details as stated on the individual schools’ details listed in Section 2 of the Secondary Admissions Booklet [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/243/in-year-primarysecondary-school-admissions-booklets]. If you don’t understand the process, you can also contact Admissions by emailing 11plus@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:11plus@coventry.gov.uk]

What happens if I miss the 31 October 2024 deadline?

If your application is late it will not be dealt with until after 3 March 2025. You will not receive a letter regarding the outcome of your application until April 2025, and it is very unlikely you would get a place in any of the popular, oversubscribed schools. Please be aware that the high birth year for September 2025 will mean more demand for places in the city. Due to the increased demand for spaces there may be only a limited number of schools within the city with spaces available after the initial allocation has taken place on 3 March 2025. All applications which are received before or on 31 October 2024 will be considered as on time.

What happens if I move after the deadline for receiving applications?

If you have submitted your application by the closing date of 31 October 2024 and move to a new house before 31 December 2024 you must contact admissions by email on 11plus@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:11plus@coventry.gov.uk] with your new address, we will then consider your preferences from your new address. We will only consider a new address when you are actually living there, and it is the child’s permanent or main residence. If you originally put down 3 preferences for that address, you may also wish to change them to take into account your new address. If you move after the deadline of 31 December 2024, it will not be possible to take your new address into account for the school offered on 3 March 2025. We will only be able to use your new address for allocating a place from April 2025. You should be aware that there may not be places available in oversubscribed schools at that time.

How can I find out more about a particular secondary school?

You will find some basic information in this booklet. You can also;

• visit the school website for the school which you are interested in to view a copy of their prospectus, which will give you more details about the school. School contact details can be found via the link; school contact details [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/schoolcontactdetails]
• attend the open evenings. See School Admissions [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/schooladmissions] for latest details, in Section 2 of the Secondary Admissions Booklet [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/243/in-year-primarysecondary-school-admissions-booklets] or ask to visit the school and talk to the headteacher
• Government Organisations [http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted] shows details of OFSTED inspections for all schools in the UK.

How can I find out which secondary school my primary school is linked to?

There is a feeder school link between the Catholic primary schools and the Catholic secondary schools in the city. There is also a link between Sidney Stringer Primary Academy and Sidney Stringer Academy. You can find out more about which schools are linked and the level of priority this will give your application by checking the individual schools’ details listed in Section 2 of the Secondary Admissions Booklet [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/243/in-year-primarysecondary-school-admissions-booklets] or by checking the admissions policies for the schools via the school contact details. [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/schoolcontactdetails ]

Apart from the schools listed above the remaining primary schools within Coventry City have no link with any of the secondary schools in the city giving priority for admission in September 2025.

If my child attends Seva Primary School must we apply for a place for Year 7 at Seva Secondary?

The Seva School is an all through school. If your child currently attends the primary school and you wish your child to continue at Seva Secondary then you do not need to make an application. If you wish for your child to attend a different Secondary School you will need to make an application by the 31 October 2024 deadline. If you child does not attend Seva Primary and you wish for a place at Seva Secondary, you will need to make an application by the deadline.

How do I find out which my catchment area school is and how far away I live from my preferred school?

Information regarding catchment areas (which is not always your nearest school) can be found via catchment areas. [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/catchmentareas] If you require details about the distance from your address to a school, please email 11plus [mailto:11plus@coventry.gov.uk]@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:secondaryadmissions@coventry.gov.uk]

My child didn’t get a place at Finham Park 2 even though he lives less than a mile from the school. Why is this?

In the admissions policy for Finham Park 2 they only allow for a limited number of applicants who live under a mile from the school so that they can ensure that the school contains a mix of children from a wider geographical area. Please check the admissions policy for details [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/3633/finham_park_2].

If I register my child at a school, does this guarantee them a place there?

No. You will only be considered for a place at a Coventry secondary school if you complete an application and include that school as a preference.

Can I write to support my application?

Yes. You have the legal right to explain your reasons for wanting a particular school, including philosophical or religious reasons. However, these reasons will only be taken into account if they are directly linked to the admissions criteria for the schools you have listed on your application. If you are applying for Eden Girls School, Coventry under exceptional medical/social grounds, you should provide supporting evidence direct to the school.

What address should I use on my application form?

See page 14 of this booklet - "Accurate addresses"

I know which school I want my child to go to. Why should I request other schools?

If you only list one school, you cannot be certain that your child will be offered a place there. If you are unsuccessful, we then allocate the nearest school with a place available. This may not be your catchment area school. If other local schools have more applicants than they have places, you run the risk of being allocated a school some distance away. You are strongly recommended therefore to use all your preferences and to include your catchment area school; doing so does not reduce your chance of getting your first preference school. For the September 2024 entry, 223 pupils did not get a requested school on 1 March 2024 and in most cases, this was because they did not request other schools.

If you intend to apply for an independent school, it is also recommended that you apply for 1 or more of the schools discussed in this booklet and request the school on that form.

How do I make an application for Year 10 at WMG Academy?

The WMG Academy admits pupils aged 14 -19 (transfer at year 10). All parent(s)/carer(s), whether they live in Coventry or elsewhere, should apply for a place at the Academy by making an application via Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council [https://www.solihull.gov.uk/Schools-and-learning/School-admissions]. The closing date for applications for the WMG Academy for Young Engineers is 31 January 2025. All applications received by this date will be classified as "on time" and will be considered first. Parent(s)/carer(s) will be notified of the outcome of their child's application on National Offer Day 3 March 2025. Please see section 2 of the Secondary Admissions Booklet [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/243/in-year-primarysecondary-school-admissions-booklets]. for more information on the school and section 6 for more details on the process.

What if I do not live in Coventry but want my child to go to a Coventry school?

We treat all applications equally, no matter where you live. However, you must complete an application to the Local Authority you pay your council tax to. Your Local Authority will then contact Coventry who will in turn inform them if they are able to meet your request. Your Local Authority will then inform you on 3 March 2025 of the outcome of your application. However, if you do not qualify for a Coventry school, your Local Authority will be responsible for making sure your child has a school place. Please make sure you read the admissions policies of Coventry schools in this booklet. Many have policies which include priorities based on catchment areas and distance.

What can I do if I don’t get the places I want?

Your allocation letter will explain the reasons why it was not possible to offer you a place at your preferred school and the process for appealing against this decision. Your child’s name will also be included on a waiting list(s), which means that we will consider your child for any places that become available after the initial allocation on 3 March 2025. There is no guarantee however, that a place will become available or that you will get one if it does.

Being on a waiting list for one school does not prevent you from visiting others. We would strongly recommend you visit any preferred school. You can decide to accept our offer of a place at another school and still go on a waiting list for any school you have received a refusal for. For all schools in Coventry, places that become available after 3 March 2025 allocation will be offered by applying the oversubscription criteria to everyone on the waiting. You have the right to appeal against all refusals in regard to secondary school admissions. This means that you have a chance to put your case to an independent appeal panel made up of people who have had no connection at all with the original decision. Going through the appeals process does not guarantee you a place at the school you are appealing for and does not affect your position on any waiting lists for other schools. 

How do I get onto the waiting list for a school?

If you are not offered a place at a school you placed as a higher preference to one you have been allocated, then you will automatically be placed on a waiting list for that school/those schools. This will continue until a place can be offered to you, or until the 31 December 2025. After this date, if you wish to remain on the waiting list you may need to re-register your interest in your preferred school with the Admissions Team or the school. Please check the individual school's details in Section 2 of the Admissions booklet and/or the school's policies for details of their respective arrangements.

If places become available and there are more children on the waiting list than places, how are the available places allocated?

If there are more children on the list than there are places available we will allocate the places to those who best meet the school's oversubscription criteria. This will include any late applications. We will use the individual school's criteria as highlighted in their school admissions policies.

Can I find out where I am on the waiting list for a particular school?

Yes. By contacting the admissions team, staff will be able to inform you of the position you hold on the list. It is important to remember that you can move up or down this list depending on whether other children come onto or go off the list. After the initial allocation on 3 March 2025 you can request to go on to any school's waiting list. This will then be looked at in the second round of allocation in April 2025 along with any late applications received. As this is open to all applicants there can be a considerable amount of change to the waiting lists at the second round of allocation. You can come off or go on the list at any stage in the process. For this reason, we can only guarantee the position of your child on the list on the date of communication.

My child already attends the school I want my younger child to go to but they will be in year 12 in September (sixth form) will they still count as a sibling at the school?

Some schools' admissions policies only take account of siblings of compulsory school age i.e. 16, so older siblings who will attend years 12 or 13 from September 2025 will not be counted. Schools that accept sibling links with Sixth form are as follows;

• Barr’s Hill School
• Bishop Ullathorne Catholic School
• Blue Coat School and Music College
• Cardinal Newman Catholic School
• Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School
• Sidney Stringer Academy

Policies can be found on school contact details [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/schoolcontactdetails].

How do I find out if I am eligible for help with transport?

The Local Authority can offer assistance for travelling to school, but only for those fitting the qualifying distance and other entitlement criteria. Pupils applying for assistance with travel must live within the Coventry boundary and be of statutory school age i.e. 5–16 years of age. Secondary pupils may be eligible for a bus pass if the distance from their home address to their nearest qualifying school at which places are available is in excess of 3 miles, or between 2 to 6 miles under low income rules. In each case this is the shortest walking route between the home address and the school measured by which a child, accompanied as necessary, may walk safely. More information can be found in the Secondary Admissions booklet in Section 4 or on our school bus passes page [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/schoolbuspasses].

You can apply online via Apply for a travel pass [/applyforatravelpass]

Where can I get help with the costs of uniform?

Clothing Coventry is supporting struggling families by providing free, good quality second-hand school uniforms. Find out more [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/schooluniformsupport].

Your child’s school may also be able to offer support depending upon your financial circumstances. Please also contact the Citizens Advice Bureau by calling the Adviceline on 0800 144 8848 or via www.advicebuddy.org [https://www.advicebuddy.org/]

Their offices are based at; Kirby House, 15 Little Park Street CV1 2JZ.

Can I apply for a place at a secondary school in another Local Authority area?

Yes. If you are a Coventry resident you can apply for a school place in another authority by completing Coventry’s application. You do not need to complete an application form in that authority as well. However, if your 3 preferences of schools are all outside Coventry, we would strongly advise that at least one of these preferences is a Coventry school in your local area or your catchment area school - this will give you a higher chance of receiving a suitable school place offer on 3 March 2025. You should make sure that you check the admission policies of schools outside of Coventry by asking other authorities for a copy of their information booklets.

Can I apply for a grammar school?

Yes, you can apply for any grammar schools within your Coventry application for them to be considered. However, you must ensure that you have already registered to sit the 11+ test with the Local Authority in which the Grammar school is situated as the deadline date to register is usually at the end of June the year before your child starts secondary school. Coventry School Admissions do not administer the 11+ test.

What do I do if I am a member of UK armed forces or a crown servant returning to the UK from a posting abroad?

The School Admissions Code requires that for families of UK armed forces or Crown servants returning from overseas to live in Coventry, admission authorities must allocate a school place in advance of the family arriving in the area, provided their application is accompanied by an official letter declaring a relocation date. Children of UK service personnel and other Crown Servants will be treated as meeting the residency criteria for a catchment area once proof of posting has been provided. Applications must be made by 31 October national closing date for secondary applications. If there are any difficulties in providing the information required, please contact the admissions team on 11plus@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:11plus@coventry.gov.uk]

I want to apply for a place at a Catholic School. Do I need to attach any extra information?

Yes. If you apply to a Catholic school and your child is a baptised Catholic then you can receive a higher priority on the basis of your faith if you provide a copy of your child’s Baptism certificate directly to the school you are requesting by 31st October 2024.

Can I refuse to accept a school offer if it’s not one of the schools I wanted/selected?

Unfortunately, we are unable to remove a school your child has been offered unless we can offer an alternative school with places available. You can discuss availability with the school admissions team. There is no guarantee by requesting one of the alternative schools that a place will be offered as this will depend on how many other requests we receive for these spaces.

Can I have a friend ring on my behalf to talk about my application form?

Due to GDPR regulations the Admissions team can only speak to the parent who made the application unless they provided details of an alternative contact within the application details.

In Year transfers

If you wish your child to transfer schools within Coventry please contact the school your child currently attends to discuss your request with them. This will give an opportunity to resolve any difficulties with the school. Parents considering a transfer should also take into account that if you choose to move your child transport assistance will not be available.

Before you apply – things to think about [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/243/in-year_primarysecondary_school_admissions_booklets]

Admission criteria

For anyone making an application, please view the schools admissions policy [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/schoolcontactdetails]. As this will show you how each school will prioritise your application. Schools will often give applications for those living in the catchment area, or who have a sibling at the school a higher priority, and the details are available in the school policy or the secondary admissions booklet [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/243/in-year-primarysecondary-school-admissions-booklets].

Further information about each school can be found on the individual schools website. Arrangements can be made to visit individual schools by contacting the headteacher.

How to apply

All secondary schools in Coventry are part of the Coventry co-ordinated admissions scheme [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/3771/secondary_admissions_scheme]. This, however, does not include Independent fee-paying schools (please contact these schools direct) and Special Educational Needs Schools which are for children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (details of how to apply [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/sen])

Applicants for Blue Coat and Seva School may need to complete a supplementary information form to enable school governors to fully consider their application against faith-based oversubscription criteria. The supplementary forms can either be obtained directly from the schools or by following the links below.

• Blue Coat CE School [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/1818/blue_coat_church_of_england_school]
• Seva School [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/2777/seva_school_primary]

Please return completed supplementary forms directly to the school.

Transferring between Coventry Secondary schools

If you are looking to transfer from a Coventry school to another Coventry school please complete the in-year transfer form, which is available from the main reception of your child’s current school. Once you have completed Part 1 and Part 2 of the form, you will need to return it to your child’s current school for Part 3 to be completed. The Headteacher will arrange to discuss the reasons for the transfer with you.

All other applications

If you would like to apply for a place at a Coventry school, please complete the Secondary in year application form [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/secondaryinyearapplication].

If you are currently living overseas, and intend to move to Coventry, please note that foreign nationals who do not normally reside in the UK but who wish to apply for a state-funded school place, must check that their children have an immigration status which permits them to enter the UK to access a state-funded school before applying. Further information about school applications for foreign national children and children resident outside England from GOV.UK [https://www.gov.uk/guidance/schools-admissions-applications-from-overseas-children#local-authority-responsibilities].

How decisions are made

All applications received between the dates shown in the table below will be assessed and decisions will be sent out via letter/email as listed.

Please note that admissions decisions are made during term time only.

Half term (26 October 2024 to 3 November 2024)

Christmas (21 December 2024 to 5 January 2025)

Half term (15 February 2025 to 23 February 2025)

Easter (12 April 2025 to 27 April 2025)

Half term (24 May 2025 to 1 June 2025)

Where an application is unsuccessful letters/emails will set out the reason for refusal and information about the right to appeal. Your child will be placed on the waiting list for the school requested and you will have the right to appeal to an independent appeals panel. For information on a school’s waiting list and appeal process, please view the school’s admissions policies.

Further general information about the appeals process [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/148/school_admissions/122/school_appeals].

Please note: If we are unable to offer you any of the schools you requested and your child lives in Coventry and does not have a school place, they will be allocated a place at the nearest school with a space available. If all schools are full we will allocate a place through fair access arrangements within 4 weeks.

Remember - until a transfer has been agreed upon and a start date confirmed, it is the parent/carer’s responsibility to ensure your child continues to attend school.

Applications for places outside the normal age group

Where a parent/carer seeks a place for their child outside their normal age group, they must state which year group they are requesting and why they want this year group on the application form. Parents/carers will then be contacted to discuss the matter further as requests will be considered on the circumstances of each case and in the child’s best interests. Each school governing body will need to make an individual decision. There are no guarantees that such applications will be agreed. However, where the application is not agreed a letter setting out the decision and reasons for it will be provided along with any rights to appeal.

Further information for parents and schools to consider in dealing with applications outside the normal age group [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-born-children-school-admission].

Fair Access Protocol

All Coventry schools are required to sign up to an in-year fair access protocol. The aim of this protocol is to reduce the time that vulnerable children spend out of school and to ensure that vulnerable children are admitted to Coventry schools on a fair basis, making sure that no school is asked to take a disproportionate number of pupils presenting with challenging behaviour or who have been excluded. This process can also be used if there are no places available for children without school places. Any children that are considered to require a school place through this protocol will be given priority over those on waiting lists and can be admitted to schools even when the school is full.

Further details of the protocol are available from the Attendance and Children Missing Education webpages. [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/attendanceCME]

Transport

If you decide to move your child, the Local Authority will not provide free transport even if you live outside the travel limits for the school.  Qualifying distances can be found in section 4 school travel and transport [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/schoolbuspasses].  Remember the journey to a new school may involve additional buses, extra costs and travelling time.

Appealing for a place

If your application for a school is unsuccessful, you have the right to have your case heard by an Independent Appeals Panel [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/schoolappeals].

If you wish to appeal for a Year 7 place at a Secondary School, or as part of an in-year request, you should contact the school directly for details of their process as the responsibility for appeals for Academies rests with the individual schools.

Appeals for the following academies are provided via the local authority [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/148/school_admissions/122/school_appeals/2].

• Barr's Hill School
• Coundon Court School
• Grace Academy
• Lyng Hall School
• President Kennedy School
• Seva School
• Stoke Park School
• West Coventry Academy

You can also use the questions and answers about starting secondary school [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/school-admissions/secondary-school-admissions/4] to try and answer any queries you may have on this subject.

Allocation of Coventry secondary school places for September 2024

It was not possible to offer places to all who requested places at oversubscribed schools. All places were allocated using the criteria in each school admissions policy.

The table below shows the number of places available as at the 1 March 2024 for entry in September 2024 at each school, the number of places offered to all those who applied on time (by 31 October 2023) and where the school was oversubscribed, we include details of the last place offered. Please note: the number of places available at each school is subject to change due to subsequent allocations taking place which will incorporate any changes and late applications.

In the section on last places offered, we list the criteria or category that the offer made under, for example, catchment area. If you click on the name of the school this will take you to their admissions policy for 2024 for further details. We also show the distance from the school to the home address of the last child given a place.

*temporary increase of number allocated to school for 2024 entry only.

'Some' indicates that only some of the applicants assessed under the criterion could be offered a place.

Please Note: If your child has been allocated a place at a school you did not request (rank 8) this is because Coventry has been unable to accommodate your preferences, as a result a place has been reserved for your child at the nearest school with a place available.

If you have been refused a Coventry school place you have the right to appeal against the decision. Register your appeal [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/school-admissions/school-appeals/4].

Places at schools in other authorities

If your child has been offered a place at a school in another Authority please see details below regarding accepting/refusing the school place.

If you fail to accept the offer of a place it could result in the place being withdrawn.

Warwickshire Admissions Service

01926 414143
Warwickshire school admissions [https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/applyforschool]

Warwickshire requires parents to accept the offer of a place; they need to email: admissions@warwickshire.gov.uk [mailto:admissions@warwickshire.gov.uk]

Solihull School Admissions

0121 704 6693
Solihull school admissions [http://www.solihull.gov.uk/admissions]

Solihull requires parents to accept the offer of a place; they need to email: admissions@solihull.gov.uk [mailto:admissions@solihull.gov.uk]

Birmingham School Admissions

0121 303 1888
Birmingham school admissions [http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/20119/school_admissions]
admissions@birmingham.gov.uk [mailto:admissions@birmingham.gov.uk]

Only inform Birmingham if you wish to refuse the school place offered.