Admission arrangements for entry into Year 7 in September 2024
ADMISSIONS ARRANGEMENTS FOR YEAR 7 ENTRY IN SEPTEMBER 2024
These are the admission arrangements for entry into Year 7 in September 2024 to Prendergast School.
Our Published Admissions Number (PAN) is 120 female students. Up to 10% of students are awarded a music scholarship.
Music applications CLOSED at 4.00pm on Monday 18 September 2023. This criterion only applies to the secondary transfer round for a place in Year 7.
The deadline has CLOSED for claims under the Social-Medical criterion for the school to receive your Supplementary Information Form with written evidence by 11.59pm on 31 October 2023.
Our online supplementary form is available on this website during the period when the normal round for national applications is open.
The closing date for secondary transfer applications (via www.eadmissions.org.uk ) is 31 October 2023. [DEADLINE PASSED]
Key Admission Process Dates (for entry in September 2024)
| Date | Event |
| 1 September 2023 | Secondary Transfer applications open (via www.eadmissions.org.uk) |
| September 2023 |
Please check our Open Events webpage for details. |
| Mon 18 September 2023, 4.00pm |
Closing date for music applications using the school's Supplementary Information Form [CLOSED] |
| By Thu 21 September 2023 | Emails sent inviting music applicants to First Stage music aural assessment (test) |
| Sat 23 September 2023 |
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 Prendergast School). 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 29 September 2023 |
Emails sent advising all music applicants if they will/will not be invited to be assessed at Second Stage (audition) |
| w/c 2 October and/or w/c 9 October 2023 |
Second Stage: Music Performance Assessment (audition) |
| By end October 2023 |
Music applicants will be informed of the outcome of their music assessment. It is the school's intention to inform music applicants by half term. |
| 31 October 2023 |
Closing date for submitting the Common Application Form for secondary transfer applications. [CLOSED] Closing date for submitting a social-medical claim to the school with written evidence from a professional for consideration. You must complete the school's Supplementary Information Form and submit your evidence direct to the school by 11.59pm at this deadline. [CLOSED] |
| 1 March 2024 | National Offer Day |
Notice: Admissions and appeals arrangements, including music assessment, are subject to government guidance and public health advice, and may change at short notice.
For music assessment, please inform the school immediately if your child is sick and for this reason is unable to attend the music test or audition at the given date.
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 Admissions 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. It is the parent’s responsibility to submit an application and any required supporting evidence before the published closing date for applications.
Please carefully read our Determined Admissions Policy 2024-25 before applying:
Music applications: The closing date for submitting a music application is shown in the Key Admission Process Dates above. Further information about how to apply for your child to be assessed for musical aptitude is below.
Social-Medical claims: Your social-medical claim with supporting evidence must reach the school before the closing date for submissions shown in the Key Admission Process Dates above. Further information about how to make a claim under this criterion is below.
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 secondary transfer application direct from your local authority at National Offer Day.
Find out more about our Open Events
Parents and children who intend applying for a place are invited to participate in our Open Events held in September.
How to be considered for a Music Scholarship for a Year 7 place
Applicants who wish to be considered for one of the music places available will be required to take an assessment (test) to determine their aptitude. On the basis of the assessment results, a shortlist will be established and, if short-listed, applicants will be required to attend an audition to assess aptitude.
Should they not be successful, they will automatically be considered for a place using any other relevant criteria providing they have applied via their home local authority before the deadline, naming Prendergast School as one of their preferences.
Applicants who wish to apply for a music place should complete the school's Supplementary Information Form available online and submit it directly to the school by the closing date. Music applications have CLOSED.
It is the school’s intention to notify applicants of the results of the aptitude assessment before the secondary transfer application deadline.
The school is unable to provide additional feedback following the music assessment or audition.
In order to ensure equal opportunity for all, the school will not take into consideration certificates achieved or references.
Prendergast School awards up to 10% of the places available to applicants who show an aptitude in music.
For your child to be considered under the Music criterion, please read about our music scholarships and then apply by the deadline using the school's Supplementary Information Form:
- Read about our Music Scholarships [CLOSED]
Applications for a music scholarship must be submitted directly to the school using the school's Supplementary Information Form by the closing date and time shown in the above Key Admission Process Dates. A link to the online Supplementary Information Form to make a music application is available on the music scholarships webpage.
How to make a claim under the Social or Medical criterion
This criterion is for children with a social or medical need that is exceptional, and who can demonstrate that Prendergast School is particularly well suited to meet that need.
Applications must include:
- The school’s Supplementary Information Form, which is available via the school’s website or from the admissions office.
- Written evidence from an appropriate qualified professional (eg: doctor or social worker) which confirms the exceptional need and is dated within the six months prior to the date of application.
Applications may also include additional supporting evidence from other professionals (eg: current SENCO or headteacher) who are currently providing direct care/support/treatment to the child relating to their exceptional need on an ongoing basis in their professional capacity. However, this additional evidence will only be considered if the mandatory pieces of evidence have been submitted with the original application.
All supporting evidence should be submitted with the application and before the closing date for applications. Social-Medical claims have CLOSED.
Applications under this criterion are determined by the Governors’ Admissions Committee.
For your child to be considered under the Social-Medical criterion, please submit the school's Supplementary Information Form at the link below:
- Make a claim under the Social-Medical criterion (form) [CLOSED]
Claims and written evidence for social-medical consideration must be submitted directly to the school using the school's Supplementary Information Form.
Your social-medical claim and supporting evidence must reach the school before the closing date for submissions published in our Key Admission Process Dates.
Your written evidence should be sent direct to the school via the email below. If you are unable to send an email, you may post or deliver your written evidence to the school, which must reach the school before the closing date for applications. The school closes at 4.00pm on school days and is not open at weekends, holidays or INSET days.
Please email your written evidence to PS Admissions: admissions@prendergast-school.com
Form submissions
If you would like your child to be considered under either of the above oversubscription criteria, we would prefer that you complete our online form. The online Supplementary Information Form is available on our website from 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. Please call our Reception team.
If you do need to request a paper supplementary form, you must make sure you have allowed enough time to receive and return the completed paper form (with supporting documents) to reach the school by the published deadline.
Prendergast School: Adelaide Avenue, London SE4 1LE
There are no exceptions to the deadline for supplementary forms for any reason to ensure that the process is fair to all.
Special Educational Needs (SEN)
All children whose Education Health & Care Plan (EHCP) names the school will be admitted before any other places are allocated.
Oversubscription Criteria
In September 2024, the Governors will admit 120 female students to Year 7 of Prendergast School.
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), and after those children with an Education Health & Care Plan which names the school have been admitted, the Governors will apply the oversubscription criteria in priority order to determine which applicants qualify for a place.
The oversubscription criteria are described in detail in our Determined Admissions Policy. The following provides a summary only:
- Female students who meet the definition of looked after children or previously looked after children.
- Up to 10% of the intake will be selected on the basis of aptitude for music as judged by their assessment result and audition.
- Children with a social or medical need that is exceptional.
- Siblings: A child whose sibling is on roll in Years 7-10 of the school on the closing date for applications and is expected to be on roll (in Years 7-11) at the intended date of admission.
- The children of staff in either or both of the following circumstances:
a) Where the member of staff has been employed at the school for two or more years at the time at which the application for admission to the school is made: and/or
b) The member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skills shortage. - Those who are permanently living nearest to the school. All distances will be calculated digitally 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. The child’s home address will be considered to be where the child normally and habitually resides and with a parent with parental responsibility. The applicant’s home local authority will be expected to verify a child’s permanent home address in accordance with its published London-wide coordinated admission scheme.
Please note the following information about the oversubscription criterion:
1 Looked after children or previously looked after children are children who, at the time of making an application to a school, are as defined in the School Admissions Code (2021).
2 See above and our admissions policy for how to make an application for assessment under the music criterion.
3 See above and our admissions policy for how to make a claim for consideration under the social-medical criterion. Written evidence from an appropriate qualified professional must be provided to the school before the closing date.
4 Siblings include all blood siblings or adoptive siblings, half-siblings, foster siblings of looked after children 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.
5 To note - Children of staff at the school will include those members of staff who work across all of the schools in the Federation and meet the remainder of the eligibility criteria.
6 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).
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 music outcome.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to submit written evidence in support of their claim under social or medical need that is exceptional before the closing date.
Siblings in Year 11 and those who attend Prendergast Sixth Form (Year 12 and Year 13) do not qualify for sibling priority for secondary transfer. Please note that for in-year applications for a secondary place (Years 7-11), a qualifying sibling is a sibling who is in the secondary phase (in Years 7-11).
Details of our Open Events are published on our website. The school does not usually arrange ad hoc tours at other times.
Waiting list
Waiting lists are held in the same order as the oversubscription criteria.
The Local Authority hold the Year 7 waiting list and process this on behalf of the school until the end of the Autumn Term of the year of entry. From 1 January of Year 7 onwards, the school handles its own in-year admissions. Please follow our in-year admissions process:
To ensure the waiting list is accurate, the list will close at the end of the academic year in July. Parents/carers must re-apply to the school at the start of the academic year in September.
The school participates in Lewisham Local Authority’s Fair Access Protocol for in-year admissions 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 students (except where shown*).
Furthest Distance at National Offer Day
| Year of Entry | Furthest Distance Measurement |
| Entry in September 2024 | 1154.17 metres |
| 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 by setting out the grounds of their appeal in writing.
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, appeal forms are available on request from the school office. 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.
If you wish to appeal, please complete the school's appeal form. You must set out the grounds for your appeal in writing. You may send the form, with supporting evidence, to the following email address: admissions@prendergast-school.com
