From September 2010, applications for places in a year group other than the normal year of entry to primary or secondary school will be treated as an ‘in year’ admission and will be co-ordinated by your Home Local Authority.

If you are a Croydon resident you will need to complete an ‘in year’ common application form (ICAF) which is available from any local school, the school admissions team and the Family Information Service, or it is available to download here.

You are requested to name a minimum of three, and a maximum of six preferences.

You must rank the schools in your order of preference.

Schools that require additional information in order to apply their admissions criteria may use Supplementary Information Forms (SIF). These are available from your preferred school.  A SIF will not be considered as a valid application unless you have also named the school on Croydon’s ICAF.

On receipt of the ICAF, the School Admissions Team will check the form, ensure that it has been completed properly, validate the address and identify whether the child is a ‘child in public care’, has a Statement of Special Educational Needs, might be at risk or is currently missing from education. The ICAF will not be treated as valid until it has been fully completed and signed by the parent/carer.

You will be given two weeks from the date of the outcome letter to accept or decline an offer of a school place. Once you have accepted or declined the place, the School Admissions Team will notify the school that they should now arrange admission.

- If you have expressed a preference for a Croydon Academy, Foundation or a Voluntary Aided School, the School Admission Team will forward your child’s name onto these establishments. The Governing Body will consider each application, along with any additional reasons for naming their school as a preference in accordance with their published admissions criteria available here.

- Details of schools requested on the ICAF situated outside of Croydon will be shared with the appropriate Local Authorities concerned.

- In the case of community and voluntary controlled schools places will be offered to children in accordance with the published admissions criteria. 
Criteria for secondary community schools
Criteria for primary voluntary controlled and community schools

- In either case explained above, the Admission Authority will advise all unsuccessful applicants in writing of their right of appeal against a refusal of a school place and how to place their child’s name on the waiting list.

- Croydon Secondary Schools will not hold separate waiting lists and will need to inform Croydon’s School Admissions Team of their current vacancies. Arising vacancies will then be filled in accordance with the school’s published admissions criteria.

If your preferred school has a place available in the appropriate year group it has to admit your child.   

Even if you are offered a school place, you can still try for a place at a higher preference school.  In your offer letter the Admissions team will advise you that if you wish to go on the waiting list for higher preference schools without a vacancy, you will need to let them know.

If you are a Croydon resident and there are no vacancies at any of the schools applied for, the Admissions team will advise you of other schools that might have a vacancy and will invite you to apply for those schools. You will also be advised that if you wish to go on the waiting list for a preferred school then you should let the Admissions team know.

If you want to view a school, arrangements should be made, as this may help you to decide if it is the right school for your child. A visit should not be refused on the grounds that there is no vacancy at the school as you still have the right to state a preference for the school.

No interviews should take place as any part of the application or admission process

If a school requests further information from a previous school this should not delay the admission, as this is not part of the application or admission process. 

Even if schools tell you they are full, you should still apply. If your application is turned down you can ask to join their waiting list and you have the right, by law, to an appeal to independent appeal panel.

A change of school may not necessarily be in your child’s best interests. However, if it cannot be avoided, and you live locally, you are strongly advised not to remove your child from his or her current school until you have secured an alternative school place.

As there can be delays in securing alternative secondary school places, it is best that your child continues to attend their current school while you arrange the transfer to avoid missing any education.

If your child is currently attending school in Years 10 or 11, you need to be aware that there can be no guarantee that any on-going school will be able to offer your child courses in his/her chosen subjects.

Croydon schools, including their contact details and websites  The school’s websites should contain their admissions policy, school brochure, special needs and disability policy, bullying policy, uniform policy and times of the school day.

Nearest Croydon Schools Map

Ofsted reports for Croydon primary schools (Reports are displayed in date order)

Ofsted reports for Croydon secondary schools (Reports are displayed in date order)

School profiles and performance and value-added data for Croydon schools