Year 7 - 11 Admissions 2025-26

The Governors wish to offer 180 places for the year commencing September 2025

Where more applications are received than there are places available, the over-subscription criteria set out below will apply.  Once children with Education Health and Care Plans, naming the school have been allocated, remaining places with be allocated in the following descending order of priority.

*Distance from the school will serve as a tie breaker in the event of over-subscription within any  category for all relevant age groups.  For applicants from the same block of flats, or who live the same distance from the school, random selection by the drawing of lots is used as a final tie breaker which will be supervised by someone independent of the school if necessary.

1. Places will be offered firstly to Looked After Children and Previously Looked After Children. Applications made under this criterion must be accompanied by details of circumstance and professionally supported evidence (e.g. from a social worker). 

To qualify for the highest priority, currently looked after and previously looked after children are defined as:

• a child who was previously looked after but ceased to be because they were adopted (Section 46 Adoption and Children Act 2002), or became subject to a child arrangements order (Section 12 of the Children and Families Act 2014), or a special guardianship (by Section 14A of the Children Act 1989), immediately following having been looked after.  It also includes children who appear to the admission authority to have been in state care (defined as in the care of or accommodated by a public authority, religious organisation or any other provider of care whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society) outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted.

2. Places will be offered to those able to provide written evidence from a suitably qualified person such as a doctor, social worker or Educational Welfare Officer at the time of application of particular social or medical needs which can only be met most appropriately by attendance at Hollyfield. Circumstances cannot be taken into account unless information is provided at the time of application and failure to provide such information at that stage may therefore affect whether or not the children are allocated places at the preferred schools.  All information submitted will be regarded as confidential. *

3. Places will be offered to those with a brother or  sister attending  the school at the time of admission, including adopted, foster, step or half siblings living at the same address.*

4. Places will be offered to children including step, half and adopted of staff directly employed by The Hollyfield School for two years or more before the admission application.*

5. The remaining places will be offered to those living nearest the school, as measured by the Kingston Council’s School Admissions computerised Geographical Information System, in a straight line to the main steps at the front of Albury House, with those living nearer being afforded the higher priority.*

MULTIPLE BIRTHS

If a parent applies for entry into the same year group for more than one child and there is only one place available, the parent will be asked to decide who should have the place. The name/s of the remaining child/children will be added to the waiting list in accordance with the sibling criterion (3).

ADMISSION OF CHILDREN OUTSIDE OF THEIR CHRONOLOGICAL ACADEMIC YEAR GROUP

Parents seeking admission outside of their child’s chronological year group should submit a separate written request to the school and may provide supporting documentation should they wish to do so. Each request will be carefully considered and a decision will be made on the individual merits of each case. The decision will take into account parents’ views, information about their child’s academic, social and emotional development, their medical history and the views of a medical professional, if applicable. Consideration will be given to whether they may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if it were not for being born prematurely and whether they have previously been educated outside of their normal age group. Views of the Headteacher and other senior school staff, staff at their current setting and other professionals will also be taken into account.

WAITING LIST

For entry into Year 7 in September 2025, following co-ordination, the waiting list will automatically consist of the names of all unsuccessful applicants who have not had a higher preference offer and will be held in criteria order until the end of term in July 2026. 

Parents can request to add names of children who have had a higher preference offer, or who did not originally name the school as a preference, to be added to the waiting list. These names will be added in criteria order. At the end of each academic year, parents of children in Years 7 to 11 will be asked if they wish their child’s name to remain on the waiting list.

APPEALS

You have the right of appeal under the School Standards & Framework Act 1998 against the refusal of a place at any of the schools for which you have applied. If you wish to appeal, you must contact the Admissions Officer at the school, within a few days of receiving the refusal, to obtain the procedure and the date by which an appeal must be received by them.

IN YEAR APPLICATIONS

In-year applications must be made using Kingston’s In Year Application Form available from Kingston School Admissions Changing Schools In Year.

For entry into Years 7 to 11, the position of any applicant on any waiting list will be determined using the over-subscription criteria as outlined in paragraphs 1) to 5) above.

Parents wishing for their child to be educated out of their chronological year group must apply to Kingston School Admissions for their chronological year group.  Once a place has been offered, you may contact the school to see whether it is more appropriate for your child to be taught in a different year group. 

SIXTH FORM

We have a separate admissions policy for the Sixth Form.

Notes:

1. Any offer of a place on the grounds of proximity is conditional on the child being resident at the address provided at the closing date for application. A business address, a childminder’s address, or any address other than the child’s permanent home will not be accepted.  Proof of address will be sought and may be the subject of further investigation. Temporary addresses will not be used for the purpose of administering applications.
2. Children with an Education Health and Care Plan that specifies the school as the placement school will be allocated a place through a separate procedure, in accordance with the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.
3. These criteria will apply to all applicants, regardless of the borough in which they live.
4. Late applications will NOT be processed until after all on-time applications.
5. The Local Authority reserves the right to seek verification of the information parents have given on the application form and to withdraw places if false information has been given.
6. The Local Authority’s Fair Access Panel may make placements, over the admission number if the school is full, for children who are deemed to be ‘hard to place’.