The schools’ admissions process can be pretty daunting, especially if you are applying for the first time.  You want to make sure that you have fully researched all the options and are making an informed decision, as well as being realistic about which schools you have a chance of getting in to.  This is especially important in Hertford given that so many of our local schools can be significantly oversubscribed. Following the steps below will ensure you have all the information you need at your fingertips. 

The first place to look is the Hertfordshire's county coucil website.  Here you will find a wealth of information about Hertford’s primary and secondary schools, how to apply and how places are allocated.   You will also find all the key dates and deadlines for school applications. 

The school guru website is also worth a look.  As well as information about the primary and secondary schools’ admissions and appeals process, you can also access links to school Ofsted reports and performance statistics from the Department of Education website.  It also offers a ‘Schools Admissions Calculator’ which (for a charge) can tell you whether you would have been offered a place in your chosen school in previous school years.  This can be an invaluable source of information when choosing which schools to put on your application, however do be aware that there is no such thing as a "catchment area" and furthest distance admitted varies from year to year, so success in a previous year is no guarantee that you will be given a place in your intake. You can of course find all this information on the county coucil page for free but it will take a bit more time.

Parent view on the Ofsted website lets you see what other parents think of any school in England - a useful source of information to make an informed choice about the best school for your child.

Decide which schools you are interested in and arrange to visit them.  This will give you the best idea of what each school is like.  You can find details of the open days being held by local schools on our open days page.  Some schools do not arrange formal open days but are happy to show interested parents around the school by appointment,

Once you have done all your research, you can access the Hertfordshire County Council’s online schools admissions Application system. You can use the help manuals available on the website to guide you through the online admissions process. And most importantly make sure you get your application in on time.

If your child does not get offered a place at one of your preferred schools straight away don't panic!  There is a Continued Interest process to go through and a lot can change before September.  However, if after the Continued Interest process has concluded you are still not happy with your allocation, and you feel have sufficient grounds, you may choose to appeal to the Independent Appeals Panel.  Information on how to complete this process can again be found on the Hertfordshire County Council website. Should you require it, there are Education Lawyers locally who specialise in this area of law and can assist with the appeals process.