Admissions - Frequently Asked Questions

No, the school is full in all year groups and we do not have any places to offer at present.  All new applicants will be placed on the relevant waiting list.

To check if your property is within our catchment area please use the online tools on our website HERE.

Properties in Surrey are not in catchment.

No, there are no plans to change the catchment area.

All applications for a Year 7 place to start at the beginning of the academic year in September must be made to the Local Authority where you live and pay Council Tax.  Applications are made when your child is in Year 6.  Applications open in September of the year preceding entry and close on 31 October. 

If you miss the deadline you should make a late application to your Local Authority. 

1. Visit the Admissions page of the school website: https://www.chartersschool.org.uk/41/admissions-1
2. At the bottom of the page complete an In-Year Transfer Application Form
3. Your application will be processed and your child placed on the relevant waiting list because the school is full in all year groups.

As a rule we will not be able to discuss your child's position on the waiting list.

As the school is always full, when an application is received it is added to the waiting list in the relevant position based on the Admission Criteria. Consequently, every time a new application is received, positions of those already on the waiting list can potentially change if someone applies who has a higher admission criterion, meaning information shared on waiting list positions quickly becomes out-of-date.
 

With the exception of children with an Educational Health & Care Plan (EHCP), children will be placed on the waiting list in the following order as determined by the Admission Criteria stated in our Admission Policy:

1 Looked after Children.

2 Children with exceptional medical or social reasons for requiring the school.

3 The children of staff.

4 Children who live in catchment and already have an older sibling attending Charters.

5 Children who live in the catchment area.

6 Children who have an older sibling at the school but do not live in catchment.

7 All other applicants.

No, the applicant will be positioned on the waiting list according to the admission criteria under which they apply.

If a student leaves us, we are then able to make an offer of a place to whoever currently sits at the top of the waiting list.  This can only happen if the year group is at PAN (Published Admission Number) and not already over PAN (i.e. as a result of a successful appeal or managed move).

 

There are currently no plans to increase the PAN for any year group.

Yes, the waiting lists all reset at the end of the academic year and you MUST reapply in order to be put on the waiting list for the next year.

You can decline the offer once and remain on the waiting list.  If you are offered again but wish to decline, you will be removed from the list and will have to re-apply. 

No, spaces that arise throughout the term must be filled immediately.  When you are offered a place, it is with the expectation that the student will join us within two weeks.  The exception is when a space comes up during the last half-term of the academic year (June onwards) it can be held for start in the September of the next academic year.

When you are offered a place, it is with the expectation that the student will join us within two weeks.  We cannot hold the place because of financial commitment to your current school.  Places can only be held if they arise during the last half-term of the academic year.

No, you only need to provide evidence of your address once you have been offered a place.  We must receive evidence of your address within 10 working days of the offer.  Failure to provide this when requested will result in the offer being withdrawn.

This must be a copy of your proof of ownership of the property or signed tenancy agreement (minimum one year).  Plus two other forms of address clarification from the following list:

Current Council Tax statement
Recent utility bill
Driver’s Licence
Home or Car Insurance documentation
TV Licence
Council Tax Credits/Benefits paperwork

Failure to provide evidence of your address within 10 school days of a place bing offered will result in this offer being withdrawn.   

You can make an application if you do not live locally, however, your application will be considered from your current address.

No, places are offered using our Admissions Criteria and only those living locally are likely to secure a place.
You can make an application before you move, however, your application will be considered from your current address.

If you are relocating back to a property within catchment that you already own and has previously been used as your family home, then you can submit your form to apply for a place while you are still abroad.  You will be placed on the waiting list in the relevant position based on this address that is in catchment. 

No, the property where you are living when you make your application must be owned, leased or rented by the child’s parent/s or the person with legal care and control of the child.

Sibling status is only applied if you have an older child already on roll at the school. Qualification for sibling status is made on the basis that the student who is the older sibling will be on roll at the school in Years 7 to 10 on the date of application of the child for whom a place is being sought.  Siblings in Year 11 or the Sixth Form are not eligible under the sibling criteria.

You will get the ‘Sibling Out of Catchment’ criterion applied to your application.  This means you will not be ahead of anyone living in catchment but will be ahead of anyone who lives out of catchment.

No, military families do not get any special dispensation when applying, other than the fact that, if applying for a new Year 7 place, the Local Authority can accept their new address ahead of their arrival in the UK if they are being re-posted (something that would not usually be done) as long as they can provide proof of posting at the time of application. Once the Local Authority have received proof of posting, their application will be processed in the same way as everyone else using the prescribed oversubscription criteria for each school that they apply for.

If a ‘looked after child’ or a child who was previously looked after but, immediately after being looked after, became subject to an adoption, child arrangements or special guardianship order, makes an application to join the school, they will fall into the top criteria for allocation.   If the application is for a mid-year transfer to the school, they will not automatically be given a place (because the school is full) but they will be placed at the top of the waiting list.

To apply under this category, the parent/carer must send a letter with the application form explaining the reasons for requiring a place in this category. It must explain why the preferred school is the only suitable school and why no other is suitable. Supporting evidence must be included from a suitably qualified professional person associated with the child or the family, such as a consultant, a general practitioner, psychiatrist or a senior social worker. Please see the appropriate section of our Admissions Policy for full details.

For any applicant, it is impossible to determine if a place will be available.  Both allocation of Year 7 places for September, and positions on the waiting lists, are done in accordance with the admission criteria.

Volunteers and Dining Hall staff employed by Cucina, do not qualify for the staff criteria.  Staff must be employed by Charters School for at least two years at the time of application, or were employed specifically where a pre-determined demonstrable skills shortage had been identified.

Tours run throughout the year and can be booked via the website here.

We do not have any special entry criteria for talented athletes.  Please see the Admissions policy for the admission criteria.

We do not have any special entry criteria for academically gifted students.  Please see the Admissions policy for the admission criteria.

If you move into the area without a school place, or remove your child from their educational provision, and we cannot offer you a place at Charters, it is your responsibility to contact alternative schools to check their availability.  You may also wish to contact the Admission departments of the Local Authority where you live to see if they can offer you any advice or support.

RBWM  rbwm.admissions@achievingforchildren.org.uk

Surrey schooladmissions@surreycc.gov.uk

Bracknell Forest school.admissions@bracknell-forest.gov.uk