Admission arrangements for entry into Year 7 in September 2023
ADMISSIONS ARRANGEMENTS FOR YEAR 7 ENTRY IN SEPTEMBER 2023
These are the admission arrangements for entry into Year 7 in September 2023 to Prendergast School.
Our Published Admissions Number (PAN) is 120 girls. Please be aware that up to 10% of students are awarded a music scholarship.
Music applications are closed. The deadline for Music applications was 4:00pm on Monday 19 September 2022. This criterion only applies to the secondary transfer round for a place in Year 7.
Social-Medical claims are closed. The deadline for claims under the Social-Medical criterion, for the school to receive your supplementary form with evidence, was 31 October 2022.
Our online supplementary form is available on this website when the application round is open.
The closing date for secondary transfer applications (via www.eadmissions.org.uk ) was 31 October 2022.
Key Admission Process Dates (for entry in September 2023)
| Date | Event |
| 1 September 2022 | Applications open (via www.eadmissions.org.uk ) |
| September 2022* |
Please check our Open Event webpage for details. |
| Mon 19 September 2022, 4:00pm* |
Closing date for music applications. [CLOSED] |
| By Thu 22 September | Emails sent inviting music applications to First Stage music aural assessment (test) |
| Sat 24 September 2022* |
First Stage: Music Aural Assessment (test) If you apply to both Prendergast School and Haberdashers’ Hatcham College, your child will sit the music test at ONE of the schools (this year, at Haberdashers’ Hatcham College). You must apply separately to Prendergast School by the closing date for music applications to be considered for a place at this school. |
| By Fri 30 September 2022* |
Emails sent advising all music applicants if they will/will not be invited to be assessed at Second Stage |
| w/c 3 October & w/c 10 October 2022* |
Second Stage: Music Performance Assessment (audition) |
| By end October 2022* |
Music applicants will be informed of the outcome of their music assessment. It is the school's intention to inform candidates by half term.* |
| 31 October 2022 |
Closing date for submitting the Common Application Form for secondary transfer applications. Closing date for submitting a social-medical claim with documentary evidence for consideration. You must complete the supplementary form and submit your evidence by this deadline. [CLOSED] |
| 1 March 2023 | National Offer Day |
*Notice about arrangements during the ongoing pandemic
During the pandemic, admissions and arrangements for music assessment may be subject to government guidance and public health advice. The process may change at short notice.
For music assessment, if your child is self-isolating and for this reason is unable to attend the music test or audition at the given date, please inform the school immediately.
How to apply
This school participates in the pan-London Admissions Scheme. For applications in the normal admissions round you should use the online application form which can be found at: www.eadmissions.org.uk
For those who do not reside in one of the London boroughs or surrounding county councils which participates in the pan-London Scheme an application should be made via the home local authority. You can use the online form to express your preference of a maximum of SIX state-funded schools, in rank order.
Please carefully read our Determined Admissions Policy 2023-24 before applying:
Music applications: Applicants who wish to demonstrate their aptitude for Music must complete the online Supplementary Information Form and submit it directly to the school to apply for a music place. The closing date for submitting a Music application is shown in the "Key Admission Process Dates" above. [CLOSED]
Claims under the Social-Medical criterion: Applicants who wish to apply for a discretionary place under the criterion for exceptional Social and/or Medical need must complete the online Supplementary Information Form and submit it directly to the school. Please provide the school with your supporting evidence via email. The closing date for submitting a Social-Medical claim, including evidence, is shown in the "Key Admission Process Dates" above. [CLOSED]
Should an applicant not be successful under a higher criterion, they will automatically be considered for a place using any other relevant criteria.
You will receive the outcome of your application directly from your local authority.
Find out more about our Open Events
Parents and children who intend applying for a place were invited to participate in our Open Events held in September.
How to apply for a Musical Aptitude place
Prendergast School offers up to 10% of the places available to applicants who show an aptitude in music.
Applicants who wish to be considered for one of the music places available will be required to take an assessment to determine their aptitude. On the basis of the results of the First Stage of the assessment (test), a shortlist will be established and, if short-listed, applicants will be required to take part in the Second Stage (audition).
In order to ensure equal opportunity for all, the school is unable to take into consideration certificates achieved or references.
For your child to be considered under the Music criterion, please read about our Music Scholarships and apply by the deadline using our supplementary form:
Applications for Musical Aptitude places must be submitted direct to the school using the online form by the date and time shown in the above “Key Admission Process Dates”.
How to make a Social-Medical claim
The school's supplementary form is available at the link below for Social-Medical claims:
- Claims under the Social-Medical criterion [CLOSED]
You will need to provide supporting documentary evidence as part of your claim. This is described in the Social-Medical oversubscription criterion in our admissions policy. Claims must be submitted direct to the school using the supplementary form by the date shown in the above “Key Admission Process Dates”.
Supporting documentary evidence must be submitted by 31 October via email to PS Admissions: admissions@prendergast-school.com
Form submissions
If you would like your child to be considered under either of these criteria, we would prefer that you complete our online form. The online form is available on this website by the date of the first Open Event in September. If you are unable to complete an online application, a paper copy of the Supplementary Information Form is available on request, to be sent by post, by calling our Reception team. Please call the school before visiting the premises.
If you do need to request a paper application form, you must make sure you have allowed enough time to receive and return the completed form (with supporting documents) to the school by the published deadline. There are no exceptions to the deadline for any reason to ensure that the process is fair to all.
Admission criteria
The Governors admit 120 girls to Year 7 of Prendergast School in the normal round (Published Admissions Number or PAN).
Special Educational Needs (SEN): All children whose Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) names the school will be admitted before any other places are allocated.
If the school is not oversubscribed, all applicants will be offered a place.
In the event that the school receives more applications than the number of places at the normal point of entry (Year 7), the Governors will apply the oversubscription criteria in priority order to determine which applicants qualify for a place. The criteria are described in detail in our Determined Admissions Policy. The following provides a summary only:
- Girls who meet the definition of looked after or previously looked after, as defined in our admissions policy. The school will comply with the School Admissions Code 2021.
- Up to 10% of the intake will be selected on the basis of aptitude for music as judged by their assessment. See our admissions policy and Music Scholarship information for further details.
- Those with an exceptional social or medical need for the school.1 The admission decision under this criterion is at the discretion of the Governors, as defined in our admissions policy.
- A child whose sibling2 is on roll of the school in years 7-11 on the closing date for applications and is expected to be on roll at the intended date of admission, as defined in our admissions policy.
- Children of staff at the school, where on the closing date for applications the member of staff meets the grounds to qualify, as defined in our admissions policy.
- Those who are permanently living nearest to the school. All distances are calculated using digital mapping software as a straight line distance to a nodal point in the school premises (North Door Park Site) from a nodal point in the applicant’s permanent home address.3 The child’s home address is considered to be where she normally and habitually resides and with a parent with parental responsibility, as defined in our admissions policy.
1 Supporting evidence of exceptional social or medical need must be submitted before the closing date for applications.
2 Siblings include all blood siblings, half-siblings, foster siblings, adopted siblings and step siblings. All siblings must live permanently at the same address as the qualifying sibling on roll. Proof of the sibling relationship may be required.
3 If more than one applicant lives in a multi-occupancy building, such as flats, we will give priority to the applicant whose door number is the lowest (numerically or alphabetically).
Important: Siblings who attend Prendergast Sixth Form (Year 12 and Year 13) do not qualify.
General information
It is the responsibility of the applicant to contact Prendergast School if they do not receive correspondence about a music application by the dates stated in the “Key Admission Process Dates”, including:
- Email invitation for the music aural assessment (test).
- Emails during the music scholarship process (including audition).
- The official school correspondence advising the outcome.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to submit documentary evidence in support of their claim under exceptional social or medical need before the closing date for applications.
Details of our Open Events are published on our website. The school does not usually arrange ad hoc tours at other times. There may be restrictions for visitors on the premises during the pandemic.
Waiting list
Waiting lists will be held in the same order as the admission criteria. The secondary transfer waiting list for Year 7 will operate automatically until 31 December at the end of the calendar year of entry, in coordination with the Local Authority.
If, at the end of the calendar year, parents/carers wish their child to be considered for in-year entry to Year 7 or any subsequent year group, they must apply direct to Prendergast School from January. Please visit the school’s in-year admissions page for more information.
The school participates in Lewisham Local Authority’s In-Year Fair Access Protocol and children may be prioritised over those children on the waiting list for admission under this protocol.
Furthest distance measurement
The following table indicates the furthest home-to-school distance place offered as at National Offer Day each year of entry into Year 7, with a normal intake of 120 pupils (except where shown*).
Furthest Distance at National Offer Day
| Year of Entry | Furthest Distance Measurement |
| Entry in September 2023 | 1243.08 metres |
| Entry in September 2022 | 1082.65 metres |
| Entry in September 2021* | 1501.50 metres |
| Entry in September 2020 | 1127.08 metres |
| Entry in September 2019 | 860.57 metres |
* Year 7 entry in September 2021 included a 'bulge' class, with a total intake of 150 pupils.
Appeals**
If your child’s application for a place at the school is unsuccessful, you will be informed why admission was refused and given information about the process for submitting an appeal. Under the Schools Standard and Framework Act the Governing Board of the school has to make appeal arrangements for parents who wish to appeal against their child not receiving an offer of admission to the school. Parents may appeal against the Governor’s decision. If you wish to appeal, you must set out the grounds for your appeal in writing and send it to the following address: admissions@prendergast-school.com
Appeal forms are available for download on the website until the appeals deadline for the secondary transfer round. At any other time, or to request a paper copy, please phone our Reception.
You can find details of the school’s appeals timetable on the appeals page of the school website. This information is updated from 28 February each year.
**Appeals during the pandemic may be subject to government guidance and public health advice.