Southwark takes the stress out of schools admissions

Primary and secondary school brochures will be available from 1 September. The brochures offer information about community and non-community schools in Southwark and how to apply to them.

The brochure is part of a campaign to raise awareness of the admissions process and help parents get a full understanding of what they need to do to meet the strict applications deadline.

As part of the drive to make the process even easier, quicker and more flexible, the council is encouraging people to apply online. One of the benefits of doing so is that parents can change details on the application right up to the closing date. The council website also offers top tips and a detailed question and answer page.

Applications for primary and secondary school places open on 1 September.

The secondary schools deadline ends on 31 October 2010 while primary schools admissions deadline ends on 15 January 2011.

If you're applying for a school place for the first time, the good news is that Southwark schools continue to improve and most families now have a choice of several good local primaries. In terms of secondary schools, Southwark has just had record breaking GCSE and A level results. A number of school buildings are being refurbished as part of the £200m Building Schools for the Future programme which has emerged unscathed from national cuts.

Southwark Council's cabinet member for children's services Catherine McDonald said: "There's no better time to be a student in Southwark. The borough's recent GCSE level results have seen the biggest improvement in the history of the borough. In our primary schools results in English and maths are among the best in London. This year more than four out of five primary pupils received places at their first choice with 95% receiving one of their top preferences. I'd urge parents to start planning ahead as a late application decreases the chances of getting your preferred choice."

Even so, starting to think about your application early is vital if parents are to have the best chance of getting their child in to the school of their choice. The new brochures, which carry all the relevant information, are available at nurseries, primary schools and libraries. Alternatively, the brochure is available online to download.

The council has the following top tips for parents:
1. Do your research - start finding out about schools now and visit as many as possible
2. Decide on your preferences - rank the schools you've chosen in order of preference. For primary and secondary you can give six preferences
3. Look carefully at each school's admissions criteria and be realistic about whether you meet them
4. Get your application in on time - the safest way to make sure your application gets in on time, and is received by the schools admissions team, is to apply online at www.southwark.gov.uk/schooladmissions

For more info and to apply online, visit www.southwark.gov.uk/schooladmissions, call 020 7525 5337 or email schools.admissions@southwark.gov.uk.
Contact the schools preference adviser for impartial advice on 020 7525 5211 or visit http://www.southwarkparentpartnership.co.uk/

This year saw almost every parent who applied for a primary school place for their child in Southwark offered a place in one of their preferred schools. Some 95% were successful in securing a place for their child in their preferred school. This is an increase of 14% from 2009 and means that almost 300 more children than last year will go to a Southwark school of their choice.

Southwark Council has been working closely with local schools and planning ahead to offer additional classes for local children. The tiny minority of parents who were not offered a place in one of their preferred schools will also include non Southwark residents who have unsuccessfully applied for a place in one of the borough's primaries.

Note for parents:

Southwark primary school facts

• Three newly refurbished primary schools will be opened in Southwark over the next two years. Michael Faraday, Eveline Lowe and Southwark Park.
  
• Southwark primary schools over the last four years have gone from 150th in the national league tables (the bottom 10) to the top 25% of all local authorities, outperforming both national averages and the achievements of our statistical neighbours.
  
• These results put Southwark in the top ten of the most improved boroughs in England (for both primary and secondary).

For more info and to apply online, visit www.southwark.gov.uk/schooladmissions, call 020 7525 5337 or email schools.admissions@southwark.gov.uk