School admissions

Applying for a place in a Hampshire school

School Admission - Introduction

Dear Parent

Welcome to Hampshire County Council’s 2008 school admissions brochure ‘A parent’s guide to applying for a school place in Hampshire’. We hope that you will find that it helps you with the important decision you are about to make and also offers other useful information.

Considering a school for your child for the first time, or when they are moving between schools, is a very important as well as exciting responsibility. We know that parents want to be fully informed so that they can decide which school they would prefer their child to attend. Secondary schools organise open days or evenings, but all schools welcome enquiries and headteachers will be happy to arrange a visit. We particularly recommend that you find out about the school that serves the area where you live but you will also, of course, need to visit all the schools you are considering.

When you are thinking about a school for your child, we suggest you look at all aspects of the school that will help your child feel stimulated, secure and happy. Schools are alive and constantly changing, so it is important you learn about the school as it is now. All schools can supply you with an annual prospectus containing the up-to-date information you need. A recent Ofsted report may also be helpful.

This year Hampshire’s school admission policy will change from a ‘First Preference First’ system, to an ‘Equal Preference’ policy. The ‘Equal Preference’ system has been designed to offer parents more choice. The new school application forms (which are also available online) ask parents to list schools in order of preference. We will rank your applications for all the schools you name on the form according to the priorities in the schools’ admission policies and consider them all at the same time. If more than one school can offer a place, the local authority will allocate the parent’s highest preference school. In most school admission policies, children living in the catchment area have a higher priority than children outside the catchment area: the ‘equal preference’ system means it is less likely that a family will be refused a place at their local school.  Listen to Questions & Answers relating to 'The Change to an Equal Preference System'

The deadline for application for secondary schools in September 2008 is midday on 19 October 2007; offer letters will be sent first class to parents on 3 March 2008 (national date).

The deadline for applications for primary schools in September 2008 is midday on 16 November 2007; offer letters will be sent first class to parents on 25 January 2008.

If you would like more information or advice, please contact the county admissions team.

We are proud of the achievement of children in our schools, pre-school groups and nursery schools. We constantly see their successes in areas such as music, sport and drama, as well as academic work and examinations. We thank the headteachers, teachers, other staff, governors and volunteers who make our children’s education exciting, rewarding and successful. This success depends on an unswerving commitment to children and a strong approach to partnership between the County Council, schools and parents to achieve the best for our children. We wish your child every success and happiness in one of our schools.

Explanatory note for schools and those with parental responsibility for a child.

The following guidance comes from the Department for Children, Schools and Families:

The definition of a parent in the Education Act includes:

  • all natural parents whether they are married or not
  • any person who, although not the natural parent, has parental responsibility for a child or young person, and
  • any person who, although not the natural parent, has care of a child or young person in the sense that the child lives with them and they look after that child.

Having parental responsibility means assuming all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority that a parent of a child has by law. It is defined by the Children Act 1989. It gives parents the legal right to make decisions and choices, such as where the child will live or go to school. If the parents were married to each other at the time of a child’s birth, or if they have been married to each other at any time since the child’s conception, they each have parental responsibility.

Having care of a child or young person means that a person with whom the child lives, whatever their relationship with the child, is considered to be a parent in education law.