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In-year admissions

Schools, education and learning

Alert

COVID-19 Coronavirus: advice and guidance

'In-year admissions' is the term used when a child is looking for a school place during the academic year.

You can make an application for an in-year admission when:

  • you have moved to, or moved house within, Waltham Forest and need a school place 
  • you want your child to move from one school to another within the same year group 

If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and you want to change their current school, please contact The Special Educational Needs Department  020 8496 6503 / 6505

As a Council, we are taking every step to prepare and ensure that the vital services that you rely upon will continue during this difficult time. We aim to process applications for an in-year transfer within 15 school days for applications where the pupil is not in a school or the pupil is a child of a key worker or the child is vulnerable as defined by the Government. If your application is for a child that is already registered with a school and does not fall in any of these categories discussed above, the application will be processed when schools have re-opened

Apply for an in-year school admission 

In-year application form (70KB, PDF).

Application guidance

We advise that you read the guide booklets below before submitting your application, to avoid any errors or delays:

If you need assistance, please contact the Admissions Team on 020 8496 3000.

If you have any issues or receive an error message when completing your online application please email admissions@walthamforest.gov.uk stating the issue with a copy of any error message so this can be dealt with as soon as possible.

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

Transferring schools for reasons other than a house move Click to get info

It is extremely important that a child has continuity in their education. For this reason, we strongly discourage unnecessary transfers between schools.

If your child is already attending a school, but you feel that a move would be in their best interests, you should discuss your reasons for this with your child’s current school. It is important that you try to resolve any difficulties by working with the school, rather than requesting a transfer.

You will need to provide your reasons for requesting a change of school and set out what you have done to try to resolve the issues with the current school.

Children benefit from continuity in their education. We strongly discourage unnecessary transfers between schools. If you still want to apply for a school transfer 

Transfers from home education or alternative educational provision Click to get info

If your child is being educated at home and you now wish them to be considered for a mainstream school, you should complete the in-year application form.
Children attending alternative education provision who are ready to attend a mainstream school are normally placed through Waltham Forest’s Fair Access Protocol. This ensures that the amount of time any child is out of school is kept to a minimum.

Waiting lists Click to get info

We will write to you with the outcome of your application. If your child is not offered a place at your preferred school you have the option of going on a waiting list. To do this, you must return the reply slip attached to your letter and indicate which schools you'd like to be placed on the waiting list for. 

In-year waiting lists are only open for the academic year in which you apply. They close on 30 June. If your child is on a waiting list and has not been offered a place at your preferred school by the end of June, you must reapply from 1 July. This will ensure they are considered for your preferred school in the new academic year. All applications received from 1 July will be considered for the new academic year in September.

Contact Click to get info

School Admission - Postal Address Only
Waltham Forest Town Hall
Forest Road 
London 
E17 4JF 
Telephone: 020 8496 3000

School Admissions - Appointment Service
Sycamore House
Town Hall Campus
Forest Road 
Walthamstow
E17 4JF

Please note that due to the Covid-19 pandemic Sycamore House is currently closed.  We will keep this page updated to reflect the current situation.