Admissions Policy

Map of catchment area

Admissions Policy 2026-27

 

The school has an agreed admission number of 225 pupils for entry into year 7 September 2026. 

Application process

If your child is due to start Secondary School for the first time from September 2026, the admissions timetable will be in accordance with the Essex County Council Secondary Schools Admission Timetable 2026-2027. Online applications open on 12 September 2025. Offer letters will be sent directly from the Essex County Council on the 02 March 2026.

All September 2026 applications for year 7 must be made in accordance with the co-ordinated admission scheme operated by the child’s home local authority. The deadline for these applications is 31 October 2025. Details on how to apply can be found on the Essex County Council website.

Applications for admission in Year 7 must be made direct to the Local Authority by the closing date published in the Secondary Education in Essex booklet. For further details visit  www.essex.gov.uk/admissions. Applications for September 2026 must be made by 31st October 2025. 

 

Determined admissions criteria for year 7 September 2026

The school will accordingly admit up to 225 pupils in the relevant year group if sufficient applications are received. All applicants will be admitted if fewer than 225 apply.

If the school is oversubscribed (after the admission of pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan where the school is named in the plan) priority for admission will be given to those children who meet the criteria set out below, in order: 

 

1: A ‘looked after child’ or a child who was previously looked after 

A ‘looked after child’ or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption,child arrangements, or special guardianship order will be given first priority in oversubscription criteria ahead of all other applicants in accordance with the school admission code 2021. This also includes those who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. A looked after child is a child who is

(a) in the care of a local authority, or

(b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (as defined in section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989).

2: Students attending the following primary schools:

  • Cold Norton Primary School

  • Collingwood Primary School

  • Elmwood Primary School

  • St Joseph’s R.C. Primary School

  • St Mary’s C. of E. Primary School Woodham Ferrers

  • Trinity St. Mary’s C. of E. Primary School

  • Woodville Primary School

At the time of the closing date for applications for a September intake.

3: Siblings

Children with a sibling already attending the William de Ferrers School at the time of the application and in any year group excluding the final year (year 13). A sibling is determined as a brother, sister, adopted brother or sister or step brother or step sister living in the same family unit in the same family household. Biological siblings will be treated as siblings irrespective of place of residence.  Children residing in the same household as part of an extended family, such as cousins, will not be treated as siblings.

4: Children living in the priority admission area

Please see the map which details our priority admission area

5: Children of William de Ferrers School staff

To children of staff in both of the following circumstances:

a) where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made, and/or

b) the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.

6: Any remaining applications

Other children by distance from the school, with priority for admission given to children who live nearest to the school as measured using Ordnance Survey data to plot an address in this system. Distances are measured as the crow flies from the main entrance of the school to the main entrance of the child's home as specified by the local authority’s Geographic Information System.

For further clarification please refer to Secondary Education in Essex booklet produced by Essex County Council under ‘Essential Information for Parents’.

Children with a statement of special educational needs are required to be admitted if the school is named subject to relevant legislation set out in Schedule 27, paragraph 3 of the Education Act 1996.

The admission procedure is administered by Planning and Admissions, Essex County Council; whose service the school buys into on an annual basis.

Waiting list

The Local Authority will maintain a waiting list for the year 7 intake until the end of August 2026. This list is then maintained by the school through to the end of year 11 and is updated regularly.

Right to appeal

All applicants refused a place have a right of appeal to an independent appeals panel constituted and operated in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code. Appellants should contact Essex County Council should they wish to appeal the decision to refuse a place (please visit www.essex.gov.uk/admissions for more information on how to appeal). Appeals should be lodged within twenty days from the date of notification that the application was unsuccessful. 

If a parent has already had an unsuccessful appeal in the same academic year, in alignment with Essex County Council’s policy, we will not consider another application in the same academic year unless there have been significant and material changes in the circumstances of the parent, child or school, which could warrant a new application. These changes have to relate to the new application and not be connected with the result of the first application. 

Mid-year Admissions in years 7 - 11

William de Ferrers School accepts mid-year admissions for Years 7-11 if a vacancy occurs. The School maintains a Waiting List of those to whom we were unable to offer places in Year 7, and, who indicate in writing that they would like to remain on the Waiting List.  

All mid-term applications should be made directly to William de Ferrers School by completing this application form.