Park High School (the “Academy Trust”) is the admissions authority of Park High School (the school). The Academy Trust is consulting about the admissions arrangements that would apply for the school for the 2028/29 academic year.

This consultation is being undertaken in accordance with paragraph 1.45 of the School Admissions Code 2021 because the Academy Trust has not consulted upon these arrangements for seven years.

The proposed admissions arrangements do not include any changes to the Published Admission Number for Year 7 entry or to the over-subscription criteria that would be applied. The changes compared to the 2027/28 policy are:

1. 1. Reorganised the layout / order of the policy to seek to improve its usability;
   2. Modified wording in the ‘Admission of a child out of the normal age group’ section to reflect the wording in the School Admissions Code;
   3. Added a new section about Challenging Behaviour – the text of this section reflects the requirements of the School Admissions Code, which the school was already bound by but putting it within the admissions arrangements helps parents access that information;
   4. Added a new section about Children of UK service personnel and crown servants – the text of this section reflects the requirements of the School Admissions Code, which the school was already bound by but putting it within the admissions arrangements helps parents access that information;
   5. An additional sentence at the end of the ‘False Information’ section to confirm that if a child gains a place using false information and has started at the school then any applicant by a sibling would not be assessed under the sibling over-subscription criteria;
   6. Included a statement to confirm the Published Admission Number for external admissions to Year 12; and
   7. Administrative details (such as the relevant dates for the 2028/29 admissions process) have been updated.

The consultation runs from Monday 2 November 2026 until Tuesday 15 December 2026. This consultation period is compliant with paragraph 1.46 of the School Admissions Code.

Any interested individual or organisation is welcome to comment on the proposed admissions arrangements for 2028/29. To do so, please send your comments to the Clerk to the Governing Body (clerk@parkhighstanmore.org.uk or by post to Clerk to the Governing Body, Park High School, Thistlecroft Gardens, Stanmore, HA7 1PL).

Sangita Patel, Chair of Governors    

Neil Darby, Headteacher

 

Proposed admissions arrangements for 2028/29

Park High School (the “Academy Trust”) is the admissions authority of Park High School (the school). The Academy Trust will comply with the requirements of the Funding Agreement and the School Admissions Code, and recognises that its ‘relevant area’ is the London Borough of Harrow since this is the local authority area within which the school is situated.

If you require this policy in an alternative format please contact the school (020 8952 2803 or info@parkhighstanmore.org.uk).

1. The application process for Year 7 entry

For applications in the normal admissions round you should use the application form provided by your home local authority (regardless of which local authority the schools that you are applying to are in). You can use this form to express your preference for a maximum of 6 state-funded schools, in rank order. The closing date for applications will be 31 October the year before entry.

For residents of the London Borough of Harrow, these details can be found on the ‘school admissions’ section of the Harrow Council website, www.harrow.gov.uk.

You will receive an offer for a school place directly from your home local authority on 1 March.

The onus is on parents to contact the Local Authority by their specified date (expected to be around 16 March) to either accept or decline the offer of a place. This will in no way affect parents’ right to appeal for a place at another school. For applications from Harrow residents, Harrow Council will write to all parents who have not accepted or declined an offer giving them a further 7 days. If no response is received a further letter will be sent to advise that the place has been withdrawn. Unaccepted places will be allocated to other applicants.

All applications received after the closing date for applications will be considered to be late applications. Late applications will be processed after all of the applications that were received on time and in accordance with Harrow Council’s co-ordinated scheme for secondary school admissions (available on the ‘school admissions’ section of the Harrow Council website, www.harrow.gov.uk).

2. Allocation of places

2.1 Number of places available in Year 7

The published admission number of year 7 places available for September 2028 entry (the 2028/29 school year) will be 270.

2.2 Admissions Over-subscription Criteria

If there are fewer applicants than there are places available for Year 7 entry, everyone who applies will be offered a place.

Children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan which names the school will be allocated a place at the school in accordance with their statutory entitlement.

If there are more applicants than there are places available after the admission of students with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, the following criteria will be considered, in order, to determine who will be offered a place:

 

1. Children who are looked after or were 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, residence, child arrangements order, or special guardianship order including 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. (See below for definitions of children who are looked after or were previously looked after);
2. Medical or social needs of the child – Children for whom it is essential to be admitted to a specific school because of special circumstances to do with significant medical needs and or social needs. (See below for definition of medical or social needs of the child);
3. Medical reasons relevant to parent(s) - Parent(s) where there are special medical reasons for seeking a place for their child at the school. (See below for definition of medical reasons relevant to parent(s) and for definition of parent);
4. Siblings - Children with a brother or sister attending the school in years 7 to 11 at the time of application. The sibling link does not apply to students who are attending the sixth form. (see below for definition of sibling);
5. Children of staff of the school – Children where their parent(s) has been employed by the Academy Trust at the school for at least two years at the date of application or where the member of staff has been recruited to a vacant post where there is a demonstrable skills shortage (see below for definition of parent); and
6. Distance from home to school - Places are allocated to applicants who live closest to the school. This must be the address where parent and child normally live and they must be living there on the closing date for receipt of applications. (See below for definition of distance and for definition of home address).

Tie-breaker: If more applications are received in any one criterion than there are places available the tiebreaker of distance from the address point for the home address to the centre point for the school site, measured in a straight line, will be applied. The school centre point is computer generated and is the centre point of a bounded polygon of the school site that includes elements such as buildings, playgrounds and car parks but excludes playing fields. In cases where applicants live equidistant from the preferred school and places cannot be offered to all of the applicants affected, the available place(s) will be allocated using a random computer selection which would be overseen by an independent officer.

Children of multiple births: In cases where there is only one place available at the school and the next child on the waiting list is one of a twin, triplet or other multiple birth group, both twins (or all the siblings in the case of other multiple births) would be admitted, even if this meant that the school would admit in excess of the published admission number.

2.3 Waiting lists

For the incoming year 7 cohort and also for in-year applications for other year groups, where a pupil had named this school as a higher preference than the school they were offered a place at then they will automatically be added to the waiting list. The waiting list will be maintained by Harrow Council Admissions Team on behalf of the Academy Trust.

For all year groups, the waiting list will give priority in accordance with the admissions criteria. Any places that become available will be filled in priority order using the over-subscription criteria. Whenever an applicant is removed from or added to the waiting list, the list will be reordered in accordance with the oversubscription criteria.

Children who are looked after or were previously looked after, and those allocated a place at the school in accordance with Harrow’s Fair Access Protocol, will take precedence over those on a waiting list.

The waiting list is closed at the end of the academic year; parents are written to and would have to re-apply if they wish their child to remain on the waiting list in the following academic year.

Please note: The waiting list for Year 7 will be maintained from 1 March 2028 until the last day of the summer term at the end of the 2028/29 academic year (i.e. the end of Year 7). If you wish your child to continue to be on the waiting list into the new academic year (when they would be in Year 8) you will need to submit a new in year application.  It is your responsibility to remember to reapply.

2.4 Fair access protocol

As part of the co-ordinated admissions arrangements with Harrow Council the school may accept hard-to-place pupils onto the school roll from time to time in accordance with the In-Year Fair Access agreement.

2.5 Challenging behaviour 

We will not refuse to admit a child on behavioural grounds in the normal admissions round or at any point in the normal year of entry. The exception to this is where we may refuse admission in certain cases where the specific criteria listed in the School Admissions Code (paragraph 3.8) apply, i.e. where section 87 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 is engaged.  

We may refuse admission for an in-year applicant for a year group that isn’t the normal point of entry, in certain cases where the specific criteria listed in the School Admissions Code (paragraphs 3.10 to 3.13) apply.

2.6 Children of UK service personnel and crown servants

Families of UK service personnel with a confirmed posting, or crown servants returning from overseas, will be allocated a place in advance of the family arriving in the area, provided a place is available and the application is accompanied by an official letter that declares a relocation date.

We will use the address at which the child will live when applying our oversubscription criteria, provided the parents provide some evidence of their intended address. Alternatively, the unit or quartering address will be used as the child’s home address when considering the application against the oversubscription criteria, where this is requested by a parent.

3. In-Year admissions

If a parent wants to make an in-year application for a child to join the school they should complete the Common Application Form for In-Year Admissions that is available on the Harrow Council admissions website (www.harrow.gov.uk/schooladmissions) or from the Harrow Council Admissions Team (020 8901 2620). There is no Supplementary Information Form for the school; parents only need to complete the Common Application Form. The Common Application Form should be returned to the Harrow Council Admissions Team who will then liaise with the schools who are listed on the form and write to the applicants with the result of their application.

In-Year admissions will be considered in accordance with the number of places available at the school and the over-subscription criteria outlined in section 2.2 and any places that become available will be filled in priority order from the existing waiting list and any current applications.

4. Admission of a child out of the normal age group 

Parents or carers may wish to seek admission to a year group that is not the normal group for a child of that age, including if they are a summer-born child who deferred their entry into primary school. If a parent or carer is considering this they are encouraged to contact the school for a discussion prior to making an application. If a parent or carer wishes to request a place for their child outside their normal age group, they must make a written request to the Headteacher (on behalf of the Academy Trust) specifying why admission out of normal year group is being requested, the year group in which they wish their child to be allocated a place in, and providing any supporting evidence.

The Academy Trust will consider a request and make a decision on the basis of the circumstances of the case and the best interests of the child concerned. This will include consideration of the parent’s or carer’s views, the academic, social and emotional development of the child, any relevant information provided by medical professionals, whether they have previously been educated outside of their normal age group, whether they may naturally have fallen into a lower age group if it were not for being born prematurely, and the views of the Headteacher.

Wherever possible, requests for admission outside a child’s normal age group will be processed as part of the main admissions round. They will be considered on the basis of the admission arrangements laid out in this policy, including the oversubscription criteria listed in section 2.2. Applications will not be treated as a lower priority if parents have made a request for a child to be admitted outside the normal age group.

Parents will be informed of the reasons for any decision on the year group a child should be admitted to. Parents do not have a right to appeal if they are offered a place at the school, but it is not in their preferred age group.

5.  Admission to the Harrow Collegiate for Sixth Form

All students may continue to study in the sixth form of their current school, providing they meet the entry requirements of their selected courses.

A collegiate system operates at sixth form level within Harrow and some courses are offered through this arrangement. As a result some students from other schools and/or colleges join courses at a particular sixth form and some students from the school may join sixth form courses in other schools and/or colleges.

Any applications from students who are not currently students at the school will be judged according to the same entry requirements of the school and their selected subjects and will be offered places if there are spaces available in those subjects. The Academy Trust will offer a minimum of 3 places to external applicants, although there may be more places available depending upon the number of students progressing from within the school.

Applications should be made to the school by the first Friday in February in the academic year preceding the year of entry.

6. Appeals

Parents can choose to appeal against the decision of the Academy Trust not to offer their child a place at the school. Harrow Council administer any admissions appeals on behalf of the Academy Trust. To appeal against the decision not to offer their child a place, parents must complete the appeal forms that are available on the Harrow Council website (www.harrow.gov.uk/schooladmissions) or from the Harrow Council Admissions Team (020 8901 2620). To be considered in the first round of appeals, the notice of appeal must be received by the Council by their specified date (expected to be around 31 March).

The appeal will be heard by an independent appeals panel constituted and operated in accordance with the School Admissions Appeals Code. Parents will receive written notification of the date and time of their appeal hearing, which they can attend to explain their case. If they wish, parents may be accompanied by an adviser or friend. Following the appeal, the Clerk to the appeals panel will write to parents with the decision.

7. False information

Where the Academy Trust makes an offer of a place at the school on the basis of fraudulent or intentionally misleading information, the offer of a place will be withdrawn. If a child starts attending the school as a result of an offer made based on fraudulent or intentionally misleading information, the place may be withdrawn by the Academy Trust, depending upon the length of time that the child has been at the school and any other factors considered relevant by Academy Trust. Where a place or an offer has been withdrawn, the application will be re-considered by the Academy Trust based upon accurate information and a right of independent appeal offered if the place is refused. Where a child starts attending a school as a result of an offer made based on fraudulent or intentionally misleading information, then any application by a sibling will not be assessed under the sibling over-subscription criteria but will instead be assessed by the other criteria.

8. Definitions

Children who are looked after or were previously looked after - 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 (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989). This includes children who were adopted under the Adoption Act 1976 (section 12 adoption orders) and children who were adopted under the Adoption and Children’s Act 2002 (section 46 adoption orders).  Child arrangements orders are defined in section 8 of the Children Act 1989, as amended by section 12 of the Children and Families Act 2014.  Child arrangements orders replace residence orders and any residence order in force prior to 22 April 2014 is deemed to be a child arrangements order. Section 14A of the Children Act 1989 defines a ‘special guardianship order’ as an order appointing one or more individuals to be a child’s special guardian (or special guardians).

A child is regarded as having been in state care outside of England if they were in the care of or were accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other provider of care whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society.

Distance – The home address is where a child normally lives. The distance will be measured in a straight light from the address point for the home address to the centre point for the school site. Each centre point factors in on-site buildings only and is agreed by the school. Distance is calculated using a computerized mapping system based on Ordinance Survey data. To find distances to schools in Harrow go to www.harrow.gov.uk/distancetool. In cases where applicants live equidistant from the preferred school and places cannot be offered to both children, the available place will be allocated using a random computer selection, which would be overseen by an independent officer.

Home address – This must be the address where parent and child normally live and they must be living there on the closing date for receipt of applications. Confirmation of address will be required. Where a child lives with parents with shared responsibility, each for a part of a week, then the address used will be the address where the child spends the majority of the school week. Where residence is split equally between parents, if no joint declaration is received by the closing date for applications, the home address will be taken as the address of the parent who receives child benefit; in cases where parents are not eligible for child benefit the address will be that of the parent where the child is registered with the doctor.

Medical or social needs of the child – Except in wholly exceptional circumstances such requests will only be considered for the school closest to the home address. The application must be supported by written evidence. The supporting evidence should set out the particular reasons why the school is the most suitable school and the difficulties that would be caused if the child had to attend another school. The recommendation for this specific school should demonstrate knowledge of the school in terms of resources and organisation which deems it essential that the named pupil be admitted to the school. The school can only consider entry under this criterion if the required documents have been produced.

Applications made on medical grounds must be accompanied by compelling medical evidence from a hospital Consultant at the time of application.  The letter from the hospital consultant must provide information about the child's medical condition, the effects of this condition and why, in view of this, the child needs to attend the school.  If the school is not the school closest to the home of the child, the consultant must set out in detail the wholly exceptional circumstances for attending the school and the difficulties if the child had to attend another school.  In assessing these applications advice may be sought from Harrow’s Special Education Needs Service.

Applications made on social grounds must be accompanied by compelling evidence at the time of application. Social needs claims will only be considered where there is involvement from a social worker.  The application will need to be supported with a letter from a Divisional Director from Children and Families or a person holding a similar role in another local authority.  The director must set out in detail the wholly exceptional circumstances that in their view require attendance at the school and the difficulties if the child had to attend another school. 

Parent’s can only make an application under this criteria (whether for medical or social need) to one school in Harrow.

Medical reasons relevant to parent(s) – Except in wholly exceptional circumstances such requests will only be considered for the school closest to the home address.  Applications will only be considered for the parent(s) with whom the child lives and must be accompanied by compelling medical evidence from a hospital Consultant at the time of application.  The letter from the hospital consultant must provide information about the parent’s medical condition, the effects of this condition and why, in view of this, the child needs to attend the school. If the school is not the closest school to the home address, the consultant must set out in detail the wholly exceptional circumstances for attending the school and the difficulties if the child had to attend another school. In assessing these applications independent advice will be sought as appropriate (e.g. Harrow Association of Disabled People or Harrow’s Mental Health Service).

Medical claims relevant to parent(s) will only be considered for one school and this should be named by the consultant.

Parent(s) making a medical claim solely on the grounds of the young person’s need to be accompanied on the journey to school will not be allowed.

Parent – this means the parent who has parental responsibility as defined in the Children Act 1989, or the person in the household who is defined as a parent for the purposes of Section 576 of the Education Act 1996. This could include a person who is not a biological parent but who has responsibility for her or him (such as a child’s guardians) but will not usually include other relatives such as grandparents, aunts, uncles etc unless they have all the rights, duties, powers and responsibilities and authority, which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and their property.

Sibling – where children live as brother and sister in the same household they are treated in the same way as siblings for admissions purposes. This includes a child’s brother or sister, half brother or sister, adopted/foster brother or sister, step brother or sister living in the same family unit at the same address. It does not include cousins or other extended family members who live in the same household. In the case of twins, triplets and other multiple-birth children, if one child can be offered a place in the school, other multiple-birth children will be allocated a place in the school. Where twins are concerned and one twin has an Education, Health and Care Plan that names the school the other twin will be treated as having a sibling link for that academic year.