Townley Grammar School

Year 7 admissions

Townley Grammar is one of four selective schools in the London Borough of Bexley and is a single-sex grammar school admitting girls in Year 7, with boys in the Sixth Form. Our students represent a wide socio-economic background and a diverse cultural and ethnic society, making it a richly diverse environment.

In September 2004 the school was recognised by the DfES as a Specialist School for the Performing and Visual Arts and in 2008 we were re-designated as a High Performing Specialist School. Our second specialism in Mathematics and Computing began in September 2009.

The published admissions limit for September was 224. 286 first preferences for the school were received by Bexley London Borough. The admission limit for September is 224.

If places remain available at Townley Grammar School after all students “deemed selective” by the London Borough of Bexley have been offered places, the Governors will adopt the principles and process of the London Borough of Bexley’s reserve list. Places will be offered to students in descending order of the aggregate score achieved in the Bexley Selection Test.

Applying to Year 7

Entry In Setember

• Children will sit the Bexley selection test in September when they are in Primary School.
• Parents/Carers must register online directly with Bexley Borough. Registration will open in May , please refer to Bexley's website for the closing date for registration.
• More information can be found on the Bexley Council website:
• https://www.bexley.gov.uk/services/schools-and-education/selection-tests/about-test

Year 7 Admissions Arragments

Girls are eligible for admission to Year 7 in September following their 11th birthday (for admission in September that is, girls born between 1st September 2012 and 31st August 2013 (inclusive). The school will accept applications from girls who are no more than one year younger (that is, they were born no later than 31st August 2014) provided that they are already in Year 6 at a primary school and the school confirms that they are working successfully in that group. Girls who are born in the summer 01 April and 31 August 2012 (inclusive), where parents delayed entry to reception, and the child has remained out of cohort for their entire primary attendance, are also eligible for admission.

In the first allocation of places, the school will only consider applicants “deemed selective” by the London borough of Bexley – using arrangements published by them. At this stage, girls with a statement of special educational needs will be considered only if they reach that standard.

If there are fewer than 224 such applicants, all will be admitted. Where there are more applicants than places available, after the admission of pupils with Statements of special Educational Need which name the school, priority for admission will be given to those children who meet the criteria set out below.

Over-subscription Criteria

• Looked after children - Children in Public Care (Looked after children) or children who have previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, residence or special guardianship order. (Looked after children are children who are in the care of the local authority as defined by section 22 of the Children Act 1989. A child is considered to be a looked-after child for school admissions purposes only if the local authority confirms he or she will be in public care at the time of admission to the school.)
• Pupil Premium - Children attracting Pupil Premium who achieve the qualifying score
• Guaranteed Grammar School Place - Girls identified by the London Borough of Bexley as achieving one of the highest scores (top 180) in the selection tests and who apply for a place at Townley Grammar School
• Sibling – Girls who will have a sibling attending a school within the ‘Odyssey Trust for Education’ at the time of application. For this priority, sibling includes a full brother or sister, adopted brother or sister, or step/half brother or sister living at the same address living at the same address
• Staff Children – Children of members of Odyssey Trust staff in either or both of the following circumstances: 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 the member of staff is recruited to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
• Distance – Distance from school with priority given to pupils living nearest to the school based on the distance from home to school in a straight line. The distance will be measured by the Local Authority’s computerised measuring system from the home address to the student entrance approved by the Governors as the official entrance to the school. Home will be taken as the child’s home address at the time of allocation (National Offers Day) that is the address at which the child lives with the parent or legal guardian who is also the main carer defined as the parent. Distancefrom home to school will not be revised if parents/carers re‐locate after National Offers Day.

Further Allocations

Suppose places remain available at Townley Grammar School after all girls “deemed selective” by the London Borough of Bexley have been offered places. In that case, the Governors will adopt the principles and process of the London Borough of Bexley’s reserve list, and will participate in that process where the admissions Authority manages it.

Under that process, places will be offered to girls in descending order of the aggregate score achieved inthe Bexley selection tests. Within each aggregate score priority will be given to girls with a statement ofspecial educational need achieving that score and then according to oversubscription criteria 1 (LAC), 2 (Pupil Premium) 4 (sibling) 5 (staff children), 6 (distance) in that order, using the tie break described abovewhere necessary.

Waiting List

A waiting list will be kept in the same order as the over-subscription criteria set out above.

Appeals

Parents who are not offered a place at Townley Grammar School will be informed of their statutory right of appeal to an independent School Appeal Panel.

Sixth Forms Admission

Townley Grammar School became an Academy on 1st January 2012 and is therefore the admissions authority for the school. Townley Grammar School is a former maintained grammar school designated as such under Section 104 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 and the Education (Grammar School Designation) Order 1998. As such it is permitted to continue to select its intake by reference to ability. Applications for Year 7 admission will be coordinated by the London Borough of Bexley.

In September 2004 the school was recognised by the DfES as a Specialist School for the Performing and Visual Arts and in 2008 we were re-designated as a High Performing Specialist School. Our second specialism in Mathematics and Computing began in September .

The published admissions limit for September was 224. 286 first preferences for the school were received by Bexley London Borough. The admission limit for September is 224.

If places remain available at Townley Grammar School after all students “deemed selective” by the London Borough of Bexley have been offered places, the Governors will adopt the principles and process of the London Borough of Bexley’s reserve list. Places will be offered to students in descending order of the aggregate score achieved in the Bexley Selection Test.

Appeals for Year 7

If you wish to appeal against the decision not to offer your child a place at Townley Grammar School please contact Mrs G Bradshaw-Smith, Admissions Co-ordinator (admissions@townleygrammar.org.uk or 0208 304 8311 ext 4827) to request an Appeals Form.

The deadline for lodging appeals (only Year 7 Students) against a decision not to offer a place at Townley Grammar School is Wednesday 29th March .

Any appeals submitted will be heard in accordance with the timescales set below.

The Timetable of Appeals - Including Sixth Form and In-Year

• Appellants will receive at least ten school days’ notice of their Appeal hearing. Reasonable deadlines will be set for appellants to submit additional evidence, for the school to submit their evidence, and for the clerk to send appeal papers to the panel and parties
• Appeals that are lodged on time for applications made under the normal admissions round i.e. for Year 7 will be heard within forty school days from the deadline for lodging Appeals
• For late application Appeals should be heard within forty school days from the deadline for lodging Appeals where possible, or within thirty school days of the Appeal being lodged
• For application to Sixth Form, the offer place is conditional upon exam results and therefore Appeals will be heard within thirty school days of confirmation of those results
• For applications for ‘In-Year’ admissions, appeals will be heard within thirty school days of the Appeal being lodged

The School Appeals Section at the Borough will write to you with a date for your Appeal. Any extra papers for the appeal should be with the Schools Appeals Section at least seven working days before the Appeal date otherwise the date may be delayed.

TownleyIN-YEAR ADMISSIONS

An ‘in-year’ admission is when a student is admitted to the school, outside of the normal secondary transfer period (when a student enters the school from Year 6 into Year 7).

For a girl to be considered for a place at Townley Grammar School, she must have been deemed selective in the Bexley Selection Tests. Procedures for making a secondary transfer have recently changed and all parents of students wishing to apply for a place, at Townley Grammar School, whether they live in Bexley or in a neighbouring local authority, must complete a ‘Grammar In-Year Application Form’ available below or ‘Bexley In Year Application Form’ which is available on Bexley Council’s website (www.bexley.gov.uk). If your child is not currently in a Bexley school it is advisable to complete the Bexley ‘In Year’ application form as this will give access to all schools in Bexley rather than just selective schools.

If you daughter has been deemed selective and a place is not currently available, you can ask for her to be placed on a waiting list for the appropriate year group. If a place becomes available we will contact the person at the top of the list to offer them a place at the school.