School admissions process

Confidentiality - local authority (LA) application form

The list of schools you include on your LA application is confidential. The schools you have applied to will not be informed of the other applications you have made.

The order of preference of each school on your list will not be released with the application details, to the schools concerned.

The ranked position of schools which are situated outside the home LA will be released to the LA which maintains the school(s) in order that the highest-ranked preference can be determined in cases where a child is eligible for a place at more than one school in that LA's area.

The Croydon LA application may be released for admission appeals purposes.

Order of preferences

Schools you apply for will have no knowledge of where they are ranked in your list of references. All applications received by these schools receive equal consideration and, therefore, you need not be concerned about what will happen if you fail to put one of the schools first in your list. All you need to do is to list the schools in your exact order of preference. You should check the admissions criteria for any maintained school outside Croydon for which you are applying.

Number of preferences

Applying for only one school will not increase your chances of being offered a place at that school.

The LA will always try to match your highest preference, but many schools are frequently oversubscribed and receive more applications than they have places available. To give you the safest chance of getting into a local school, it is very important that you include other schools in your area, in the event that your first preference is not available.

Failing to list other preferences on your form can result in huge disappointment, as the LA can only process applications according to the preferences you have listed on your application form.

Even if you live closer to a school than another family, they could be considered above you unless you have listed that school on your form. If your only preference is not available, you can only be offered a school with places left once all other parental preferences have been considered.

Equal preference system

From these preference lists, Croydon LA identifies which children are potentially in a position to be offered a place at more than one of its schools. In such cases the LA will offer a place at the highest ranked school for which a successful application has been made. Other lower ranked offers will be released, allowing further offers to be made to children who are next on the schools' lists.

Fraudulent applications

Croydon takes very seriously any attempt to gain an advantage in the admissions process by giving false information. The local authority will investigate applications where there are any doubts about information or where information has been received from another source.

Make sure that you include the correct information in your application. Your address will be checked by reference to your child’s primary school records as well as other council records such as electoral and council tax register record(s) and, if necessary, by a council officer visiting your address.

If you are found to have used a false address or deliberately provided misleading information to obtain a school place, your application may be cancelled or the school place offered could be withdrawn.

Download our Address of Convenience Protocol document (PDF, 184KB)

Changing your mind

Changes to school preferences or to the order of school preferences listed on your application form will not be accepted after the following closing dates:

• Secondary schools - 31 October 2023
• Primary schools - 16 January 2024

Change of address

Primary

Croydon council must be notified of changes of address by 8 February 2024, so that the new address can be used, if needed to prioritise your preferences for schools under the distance criteria. Failure to do so could result in your application being considered from the previous address, and your child being denied a place at a preferred school. All changes of address will be thoroughly investigated to ensure there is a permanent commitment to the new address. Changes of address can only be considered when Croydon council receives documentary evidence that you and your child are resident in the property and able to prove you have no connection with your previous address - that is, the new address is not a temporary arrangement to access a preferred school.

Examples of documents to be provided are a letter from a solicitor confirming the date of completion of contract for the new place of residence or a copy of the new tenancy agreement stating commencement date, together with evidence of residence, for example a utility bill.

If your address changes after 8 February 2024, you must still notify the local authority immediately, providing documentary evidence as described above, so that your new address can be taken into account when determining your child’s position on schools’ waiting lists after national offer day (that is after 16 April 2024).

Secondary

Croydon council must be notified of changes of address by 12 December 2023, so that the new address can be used, if needed to prioritise your preferences for schools under the distance criterion. Failure to do so could result in your application being considered from the previous address, and your child being denied a place at a preferred school. All changes of address will be thoroughly investigated to ensure there is a permanent commitment to the new address. Changes of address can only be considered when Croydon council receives documentary evidence that you and your child are resident in the property and able to prove you have no connection with your previous address - that is, the new address is not a temporary arrangement to access a preferred school.

Examples of documents to be provided are a letter from a solicitor confirming the date of completion of contract for the new place of residence or a copy of the new tenancy agreement stating commencement date, together with evidence of residence, for example a utility bill. If your address changes after 12 December 2023, you must still notify the local authority immediately, providing documentary evidence as described above, so that your new address can be taken into account when determining your child’s position on schools' waiting lists after national offer day (that is after 1 March 2024).