Applying for a secondary school place

Applying for a secondary place for September 2020

If your child is currently in Year 6, they are due to start secondary school in September 2020.

You must apply for a secondary place for your child even if they have an older brother or sister at your preferred school. If your child attends an All Through school and you wish them to automatically transfer to year 7, please contact the school who will advise you what to do.

The booklet Starting Secondary School 2020 (10.4MB PDF) contains all the information you need to know about applying for a secondary school place. Please check the latest admissions information below for updates to this booklet.

The London Borough of Waltham Forest takes very seriously any attempt to gain an advantage in the admissions process by giving false information.

It is really important that the admissions system is fair for everybody. Nobody should be allowed to cheat by using a friend or relative’s address, a business address or by temporarily renting a property near to a popular school. Each year a number of parents try to get a school place by providing false information, which could result in them taking a place that should have gone to another child.

The Local Authority will investigate all instances where a parent is thought to have provided false or misleading information in order to gain admission to a school. Your address will be checked by reference to various records and, if necessary, by a council officer visiting the application address.

A false application may, in addition to possible prosecution, lead to the withdrawal of your child’s place in the school applied for, even if the child has already started school.

For details on how we use your information for fraud prevention, including sharing with fraud prevention agencies, please see our updated Anti-Fraud Fair Processing Notice.

If you suspect someone has provided false information on a school application form please report fraud online. Alternatively you can call the fraud hotline anonymously, 24 hours a day on 0300 003 1099 or you can email us at fraud@walthamforest.gov.uk

The closing date for applications is 31 October 2019. 

The eAdmissions website for online applications opened on 1 September. The closing date is 31 October 2019. 

You can download a guide explaining how to apply for your child’s school place online (140KB PDF).

There are FAQs and guidance sheets to help you complete your online application on the eAdmissions website. If you're having a technical problem completing your application, please email support@eadmissions.org.uk.

If you and your child live in Waltham Forest you must apply through us. If you and your child live outside Waltham Forest, you must apply to the local authority in which you live. The eAdmissions website will redirect your application to the correct local authority based on the address and postcode you enter.  

Please note that the preferred method for secondary admissions is digitally.

If you are unable to apply online you can download the secondary common application form (70KB PDF). Instructions for how to submit your paper application are on the back of the application form.

National Allocation Day

National Allocation Day is 2 March 2020. 

If you apply online by the closing date, an email with the outcome of your application will be sent to you in the evening on 2 March 2020. For paper applications received by the closing date, a letter will be posted first class on 2 March 2020.  For more information please see our frequently asked questions (369KB PDF)